RIPON, Wis. - Ripon's volleyball team finished second out of the five competing teams at the 2021 Ripon College Classic over the weekend, winning both of their matches on the second and final day of the tournament. The Red Hawks defeated Northland College in four sets, before disposing of Maranatha Baptist in three sets to end the tournament.

Against Northland (2-2), Ripon won the first set 25-22, before losing the second 12-25, but they ultimately bounced back with 25-6 and 25-23 wins in the final two sets. Ripon (3-2) produced nearly twice the amount of kills as Northland (52-30), led by 12 from Arynn Mathieu and 10 apiece from Lydia Ellis and MaKenna Harmsen. Riley Nielsen added 41 assists, while Sam Thrasher's four service aces led all players. Micaela Encarnacion led the Red Hawks with 29 digs.

In the day's second game, Ripon defeated Maranatha Baptist (0-4) by identical 25-20 scores in all three sets. In that contest, Ripon once again held the kills advantage (45-28). Inesha Wiseman led the Red Hawks with 13 kills and a hitting percentage of .435, en route to All-Tournament honors. Mathieu added nine kills, while Harmsen recorded seven with a hitting percentage of .263. Thrasher posted three more service aces in the nightcap, while Encarnacion again led the team in digs with 21.

The Red Hawks will be in action again next weekend when they'll take part in the Mount Mary Tournament in Milwaukee, Wis. Ripon's first games will be Friday against North Central (Minn.) and Mount Mary at 5:15 and 7:30, respectively.