MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Powered by dominant net performances from sophomore Rachel Krueger and freshman Kayleah Laughlin, the Milwaukee Area Technical College women's volleyball team extended its winning streak to six matches with a 3-1 home victory (25-13, 17-25, 25-16, 25-17) over No. 4 ranked College of DuPage on Wednesday night.

Krueger (15.5 points) and Laughlin (19.5 points) combined for 35 of the Stormers' 68 points, setting the tone early during Youth Night and Cans Across the Conference Night.

"Krueger and Laughlin really brought it tonight," MATC head coach Shel DeLisle said. "We've been working on our mindset a lot this week, and their energy was great. Rachel is always right there, but Kayleah matched her tonight. Let's face it: When Laughlin wants to put that ball down, nobody's stopping her. She's up above the block, and it comes straight down. To have both of them on tonight was cool to see."

MATC came out firing in the opening set, racking up 12 kills on 34 attack attempts and hitting .294. The aggressive pace—led by Krueger and Laughlin, who combined for 14 of the Stormers' 25 points—overwhelmed DuPage, resulting in a 12-point set victory. MATC raced to a 9-2 lead behind three kills from Laughlin and two aces by freshman setter Grace Adams, then closed out the set when sophomore middle hitter Natalia Farrugia delivered a match-ending kill.

DuPage responded in the second set, capitalizing on a dip in MATC's attack. The Stormers managed just six kills and hit .136, allowing the Chaps to extend their slim 11-8 lead with a 9-4 run fueled by six kills. DuPage closed the frame, 25-17, to even the match.

MATC regrouped in the third set with its most potent offensive showing, posting 13 kills on 30 attacks and hitting .367. Three separate 4-0 runs helped the Stormers build a 16-8 lead and force a DuPage timeout. MATC maintained its momentum in order to cruise to a 25-16 win to reclaim the lead.

"I think our energy was really working for us in that third set," Laughlin said. "We lost a lot of energy during that second set, and once we got it back, we were able to put it away." 

In the fourth set, MATC sealed the victory with a balanced attack, totaling nine kills, a .304 hitting percentage and just two errors. DuPage remained competitive early, but the Stormers' defense disrupted the Chaps' rhythm down the stretch, forcing five errors after they already trailed 17-10. This allowed the Stormers to remain in control up 22-12 before paving the way for a 25-17 set win to close out the match in four sets.

Laughlin spearheaded MATC's attack with a team-high 14 kills on 29 swings (.379). She also added two service aces and five total blocks (two solo, three assisted) en route to 19.5 points.

"I feel like I've just been working really hard at practice and trying to be a better player and be more consistent," Laughlin said. "I think my mindset is a lot better than it was in prior games."

Krueger followed closely with 11 kills on 28 attempts (.393), while also chipping in three aces, eight digs and two combined blocks for a 15.5-point night.

Farrugia delivered seven kills on 14 swings (.286), racked up a team-high four service aces, recorded nine digs and contributed four blocks (one solo, three assisted) for 13.5 points.

Freshman setter Hope Martens ran an efficient offense, recording a double-double with 16 assists and 13 digs. She also chipped in a kill and a service ace. Kendall Revolinski tallied four kills, four block assists to go along with nine digs.

UP NEXT
MATC (23-5) will travel Friday to Madison, Wis., for the Madison College Quad against host Madison College, Carl Sandburg and Sauk Valley. The Stormers open at 1 p.m. against Carl Sandburg, followed by a 3 p.m. match with Sauk Valley.