PETOSKEY, Mich. — The Milwaukee Area Technical College women's volleyball team endured a challenging weekend at the Buffalo Wild Wings & Corktown Pizza Timberwolves Quad, dropping all three of its matches between Friday and Saturday.
The Stormers fell in straight sets to St. Clair County Community College (21-25, 15-25, 16-25) and North Central Michigan College (19-25, 18-25, 19-25) before battling in a four-set loss to Kankakee Community College (21-25, 25-22, 22-25, 17-25).
The 0-3 showing extended MATC's losing streak to four matches, which marks its longest skid of the season after not dropping more than two in a row all year. The Stormers now stand at 26-10 overall.
"It was a rough weekend," MATC head coach
Shel DeLisle said. "We are starting over with the basics on the practice court and hoping that practicing hard will bring confidence and mental toughness to a team that seems to be struggling with these issues."
One bright spot for the Stormers was the play of freshman setter
Hope Martens, who earned all-tournament honors as MATC's lone representative. Across three matches, Martens totaled 37 assists, 33 digs and five service aces, showcasing her consistency and leadership on both sides of the ball.
Her performance placed her alongside Andrijana Cicvaric and Kennedi Huston of Kankakee, Taylor Hafeman of North Central Michigan, Breanna Gentner and Brooklynn Haack of St. Clair County, and tournament Most Valuable Player Addison Bolen of St. Clair County on the Buffalo Wild Wings & Corktown Pizza Timberwolves Quad All-Tournament Team.
"Hope has been a force on the court all season for us," DeLisle said. "During the tournament, other coaches and even the up referee commented on her incredible talent. This is well deserved."
Match 1 (Friday):
St. Clair 3, MATC 0 (21-25, 15-25, 16-25)
The Stormers struggled to finish their attacks, hitting just .096 as a team with 29 kills and 19 errors on 104 total attempts.
Sophomore
Natalia Farrugia led MATC with 10 kills on 31 swings, adding two service aces and six digs to finish with a team-high 12 points. Second-year outside hitter
Rachel Krueger contributed six kills on 28 attempts, two service aces and nine digs for 8 points. Freshman
Kayleah Laughlin added six kills and two digs for 6 points, while freshman
Annika Romine chipped in three kills, two aces, four digs and a solo block to also total 6 points. Freshman
Grace Adams finished with 14 assists, two aces and 13 digs for 2.5 points.
Match 2 (Saturday):
North Central Michigan 3, MATC 0 (19-25, 18-25, 19-25)
MATC failed to reach double-digit kills or a .200 hitting percentage in any set, finishing at .062, .152 and .030 respectively. The Stormers hit just .082 overall, recording 25 kills and 17 errors on 98 attempts.
Sophomore opposite hitter
Savannah Raymer led the offense with eight kills on 21 swings to finish with 8 points. Krueger matched her with eight kills on 34 attempts and added nine digs for another 8-point outing. Laughlin chipped in four kills, three digs and two block assists for 5 points. Farrugia added two kills, one ace and three digs for 3 points. Martens recorded a double-double with 11 assists and 12 digs, while Adams added 10 assists and nine digs.
Match 3 (Saturday):
Kankakee 3, MATC 1 (21-25, 25-22, 22-25, 17-25)
The Stormers reached double-digit kills in all four sets but failed to hit .180 or better in any, finishing at .149, .105, .135 and .174. As a team, MATC hit .143 with 48 kills and 24 errors on 168 total attacks.
Krueger led the way with 16 kills on 48 swings for a .250 hitting percentage, adding 17 digs and a solo block to finish with a team-best 17 points. Laughlin followed with 14 kills on 44 attempts at a .227 clip, 14 digs and a block assist for 14.5 points. Romine added five kills on 11 swings, two solo blocks and five block assists to reach 9.5 points.
Allison Chapman rounded out the top scorers with six kills, one solo block and four block assists for 9 points.
UP NEXT
MATC (26-10) will take a short break before hosting Morton and Harper this weekend at the Stormer Invitational. The Stormers open play with a 10 a.m. match against Morton on Saturday, followed by a 2 p.m. matchup against Harper to close out the tournament.
