MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- Day one of the MSOE Tournament saw Ripon College split its two matches, starting with a sweep over Maranatha Baptist before falling to North Central (Ill.) in straight sets.

Game 1

Ripon opened the day with a dominant performance, cruising past Maranatha Baptist in three sets (25-10, 25-13, 25-16). The Red Hawks controlled the match from start to finish, using a balanced attack and steady serving to take command early. 

Senior Lainie Heizler (Park Falls, Wis., Chequamegon HS) led the way offensively with a team high six kills, while junior Haylee Kast (Reedsburg, Wis., Reedsburg Area HS) and sophomore Hannah Michaels (Waukesha, Wis., Waukesha North HS) each chipped in four. Ripon also benefited from strong serving, recording 14 aces as a team, with freshman Bryn Carlson (Green Lake, Wis., Ripon HS) tallying five. 

Defensively, senior Michaela Riege (Waterloo, Wis., Bryant & Stratton College) anchored the back row with 17 digs, while Carlson added 15. The Red Hawks hit .143 as a team while holding the Sabercats to a negative hitting percentage in the sweep.

Game 2

In the nightcap, Ripon faced a tougher test against North Central (Ill.) but ultimately fell in three sets (25-15, 25-23, 25-14). After dropping the opener, the Red Hawks nearly evened the match in set two, rallying late before the Cardinals closed out the frame.

Sophomore Makenna Harren (Rosemount, Minn., Rosemount HS) paced the offense with 8 kills, while Heizler and freshman Alexis Wieczorek (Crete, Ill., Crete-Monee HS) each added four. Senior Emily Braun (Juneau, Wis., Dodgeland HS) distributed 9 assists, and Riege tallied a team-high 13 digs to lead the defense. 

Despite the loss, Ripon showed fight throughout, finishing 1-1 for the day and 3-3 on the season. 

Up Next

The Red Hawks continue MSOE Tournament play tomorrow, taking on additional nonconference opponents, Milwaukee School of Engineering and Benedictine University.