RIPON, Wis. -- The Red Hawks Volleyball program (7-19, 1-0 MWC) earned their first Midwest Conference (MWC) of the year this Friday, Oct 3, against the Beloit College Buccaneers (2-12, 0-2 MWC).

The night's events started before the contest as the program recognized members of the Ripon faculty, with each player choosing a specific faculty member to honor. 

Following the recognition, the Red Hawks put together a strong performance from the first serve. Ripon would give the Buccaneers no breathing room in the first set, running out to a 20-10 lead behind incredibly efficient attacking. The Red Hawks would capture the first set 25-11, recording an impressive .536 hitting percentage going into the second set. 

The following sets would see much of the same. Senior Lainie Heizler (Park Falls, Wis., Chequamegon HS) would drive the offense, leading her team with ten kills and a blistering .667 attack percentage across the match. Junior Haylee Kast (Reedsburg, Wis., Reedsburg Area HS) would also provide an offensive push, recording nine kills across the contest on .348 hitting. Ripon would take the second set 25-16, and despite some bumps in hitting during the second, take the final 25-15 to claim the MWC win over the visitors. 

As at team, Ripon would sustain .393 hitting across the match, compared to Beloit's .057. Freshman Mattea Jacobson (Saint Croix Falls, Wis., Saint Croix Falls HS) would lead all players in assists with 20, while Beloit as a team would record 21 assists on the day. 

The Red Hawks face a quick turnaround, taking on defending champion Cornell College tomorrow, Oct 4, at 1:00pm. Cornell enters the match 7-7 this season, coming off two wins in a triangular featuring Augsburg and #25 Carthage.