MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- The Ripon College volleyball team wrapped up the MSOE Tournament on Saturday with a 1-1 record, rallying past MSOE in four sets before dropping a tough three set match to Benedictine University.

Game 1

Ripon opened the day with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over tournament host, Milwaukee School of Engineering (22-25, 27-25, 25-11, 25-23). After dropping the first set, the Red Hawks responded in a tight second set, edging the Raiders 27-25 to even the match. Ripon then seized control, dominating set three behind a sharp offensive performance before closing out the match in a nail-biting fourth set.

Sophomore Makenna Harren (Rosemount, Minn., Rosemount HS) powered the Red Hawks with 14 kills, while freshman Addi Johnson (Milwaukee, Wis., Wisconsin Lutheran HS) tallied 12 and senior Lainie Heizler (Park Falls, Wis., Chequamegon HS) added 10 as Ripon finished with 48 kills as a team. Defensively, senior Michaela Riege (Waterloo, Wis., Bryant & Stratton College) anchored the back row with 20 digs, and freshman Bryn Carlson (Green Lake, Wis., Ripon HS) chipped in 13.

At the net, sophomore Hannah Michaels (Waukesha, Wis., Waukesha North HS) and freshman Alexis Wieczorek (Crete, Ill., Crete-Monee HS) each recorded three blocks. Freshman Mattea Jacobson (Saint Croix Falls, Wis., Saint Croix Falls HS) paced the offense with 19 assists, while freshman Tristin Arlen (Antigo, Wis., Antigo HS) dished out 13. Samantha Differt (Sturgeon Bay, Wis., Sevastopol HS) led the serving game with three aces, with Carlson adding two of her own. 

Game 2

In their second match of the day, the Red Hawks battled Benedictine University but ultimately fell in straight sets (20-25, 29-31, 15-25). Ripon fought hard in the first two sets, including a thrilling back-and-forth second frame that saw both teams trade set points before Benedictine edged it out 31-29. 

Harren again led the offense with 14 kills, followed by Johnson with 10 and Heizler with five. Michaels posted three blocks, while Heizler and Wieczorek each added two. Jacobson and senior Emily Braun (Juneau, Wis., Dodgeland HS) combined for 24 assists, with 13 and 11 respectively. Riege led the defense with 14 digs, Carlson tallied nine, and Harren added seven. 

Up Next

The Red Hawks return home on Tuesday, Sep 9, to host Loras College at 7 pm inside Weiske Gymnasium.