RIPON, Wisconsin — The Ripon volleyball team won its first match of the season in an exciting opening day of action at the annual Ripon College Classic.
 
The Red Hawks (1-1) fell in three sets to MSOE (25-23, 25-11, 25-19) before rebounding to defeat Mount Mary in four sets (25-23, 24-26, 25-21, 25-15).
 
After a competitive first set against the Raiders in the first match of the day, MSOE used a .379 hitting percentage in the second set to gain control of the match. As a team, Ripon hit .028 in the season opener.
 
The Red Hawks were led by Ellie Ove, who collected 8 kills in the match. Riley Nielsen had 13 assists, while Sam Thrasher garnered 12 digs.
 
In the nightcap, the first two sets against Mount Mary went down to the wire with each team winning a set by two points. Ripon held a slight hitting advantage in the match, posting a .133 clip as opposed to the Blue Angels' .129 percentage.
 
In the fourth and decisive set, Ripon twice went on 6-0 runs – the first to go up 9-4 and the second to take a 16-7 lead.
 
The offensive star of the show was freshman Haylee Kast, who had 14 kills to power Ripon. She hit .235 on the night. Lydia Ellis was also in double digits with 12 kills.
 
The Red Hawks amassed 18 aces in the match, led by Sam Differt who had 7. Thrasher had 4, while Kast had 3.
 
Ripon is back in action on Saturday (September 2) for the final day of the Ripon College Classic. The Red Hawks face Martin Luther at 12 p.m. in Weiske Gymnasium and take on UW-Superior at 2 p.m.
 
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