GRAYSLAKE, Ill. — Milwaukee Area Technical College sophomore libero Kim Busateri added to her legacy Tuesday night by serving her first and only ace in a 3-0 sweep (25-13, 25-16, 25-15) over College of Lake County. Already the program's all-time leader in career digs, Busateri tied the school record for career aces with 151, matching the mark set by 2024 MATC graduate Sam Siehr.

"I'm not surprised at all that Kim has tied the program record for career aces," Stormers head coach Shel DeLisle said. "She has been a tremendous asset to our program over the past two years, and I'm proud of her."

The three-set victory marked the Stormers' second straight win and improved their record to 28-11 as they look to close out the regular season strong before beginning the 2025 NJCAA Region 4 Division II Women's Volleyball Tournament on Nov. 5. The performance against College of Lake County showed both the consistency and resilience that have carried MATC through the season.

MATC opened with authority in the first set, recording 14 kills on 23 attempts with only three errors for an impressive .478 hitting percentage. Momentum dipped in the second, where the Stormers managed nine kills against five errors on 27 attempts, dropping to .148 despite still winning by nine points. They quickly regrouped in the third, finishing with 16 kills on 30 attempts and just four errors to climb back to a .400 percentage. The match reflected a night of early dominance, mid-match struggles and a decisive rebound that secured the team's 16th sweep of the season.

As a group, MATC finished with 39 kills on a .338 hitting percentage, 12 service aces, 11 total blocks (three solo) and 42 digs.

Freshman outside hitter Kayleah Laughlin was nearly unstoppable at the net, recording 14 kills on a .455 percentage. She also added four block assists and five digs to help lead the Stormers.

Second-year outside hitter Rachel Krueger contributed nine kills on a .529 percentage with no errors, along with seven digs and five aces. Sophomore middle hitter Natalia Farrugia added seven kills on a .357 clip, five aces, four digs and two block assists.

"It was great to see everyone show up and contribute," DeLisle said. "Natalia set the tone with a string of aces in the first set, and the team never let up. Our outsides were incredible. Rachel hit over .500 with no errors and added five aces, while Kayleah wasn't far behind at .455. We brought our practices back to a day-one reset with conditioning two weeks ago and a lot of fundamental review, and it showed tonight. I'm proud of them." Freshman setter Hope Martens dished out a team-high 16 assists to go along with five digs. First-year setter Grace Adams added 13 assists, five digs and a kill.

Freshman Annika Romine tallied four blocks, including two solo, while Busateri anchored the defense with 13 digs.

UP NEXT
MATC (28-11) will conclude its regular season campaign with a 6 p.m. road match Thursday at Harper College.