WAUBONSEE, Ill. — Milwaukee Area Technical College's women's volleyball team went 3–1 at the Region 4 Crossover this past weekend, sweeping Illinois Valley, Moraine Valley and Joliet Junior College while falling to Sauk Valley.

On Friday, MATC opened with a 3–0 victory over Illinois Valley (25-15, 25-12, 25-17), then rallied from two sets down to edge Moraine Valley 3–2 (17-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-8, 15-10). Saturday's slate began with a 3-0 loss to Sauk Valley (23-25, 18-25, 23-25) before the Stormers closed the crossover with a 3-0 win over Joliet Junior College (25-12, 25-20, 25-16). As a result, MATC improved its record to 18-5 and 9-3 in Region 4 action.

"Any weekend where we go 3-1 is a good weekend," said MATC head coach Shel DeLisle. "We're still down a middle — Allie Chapman — and have Natalia Farrugia playing outside, which led to another weekend of players stepping outside their comfort zones. Our left-handed right side, Kendall Revolinski, even filled in on the outside during one set. She did a great job, as did Natalie at middle. Tannica Jones saw more time than usual and made the most of it by putting up big blocks and disrupting the other team's offense."

DeLisle said the team's loss to Sauk Valley didn't reflect how close the match was.

"Sauk Valley is a consistent, well-coached team ranked No. 11, and we were right there despite our worst offensive showing of the season," she said. "We hit .008 in that match, compared to our season average of .216. The coaching staff will be reviewing the film to determine whether the issue was on our side or if they simply stressed us more than we're used to. We'll see them again in a few weeks and hope to have resolved whatever the issue was."

Match #1 (Friday):
MATC 3, Illinois Valley 0 (25-15, 25-12, 25-17)

In the opener against Illinois Valley, MATC hammered 16 kills on a .387 hitting percentage in the first set and held the Eagles to three kills and a .000 clip. The Stormers added 11 kills on a .333 percentage in the second and closed out the match with 12 kills at .276 efficiency.

Sophomore Natalia Farrugia led all scorers with 13.5 points on eight kills and a .800 hitting percentage with 10 attempts. She also had seven digs, three aces, three block assists and a solo block. Outside hitters Kayleah Laughlin and Rachel Krueger each recorded eight kills. Freshman setter Hope Martens finished with 22 assists, 11 more than teammate Grace Adams, and libero Kim Busateri notched a team-high 17 digs to raise her career total to 1,023.

Match #2 (Friday):
MATC 3, Moraine Valley 2 (17-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-8, 15-10)

Despite committing seven errors apiece in each of the first two sets, the Stormers rallied from an early 2-0 deficit thanks to timely hitting and clutch defense in match two. In the third set, they recorded 15 kills on a .317 hitting percentage, then dominated the fourth by limiting Moraine Valley to three kills and a .097 clip. In the deciding fifth set, the Stormers posted 10 kills on a .304 hitting percentage to win 15-10 and clinch the match. Krueger paced the comeback with a double-double of 17 kills and 25 digs, plus two aces and two block assists. Farrugia recorded 13 kills, seven digs, four aces and four block assists. Freshman Annika Romine added eight kills, seven block assists and two digs, while Martens tallied 26 assists and 18 digs.

Match #1 (Saturday):
Sauk Valley 3, MATC 0 (23-25, 18-25, 23-25)

Sauk Valley shut down MATC's attack in Saturday's first match, holding the Stormers to hitting percentages of .000 (8 kills, 8 errors on 40 swings), –.028 (8-9-36) and .054 (9-7-37). Laughlin led MATC with seven kills, nine digs and two aces. Krueger had five kills and 14 digs; Martens dished 13 assists; and Romine recorded eight block assists.

Match #2 (Saturday):
MATC 3, Joliet Junior College 0 (25-12, 25-20, 25-16)

In the crossover finale, MATC jumped on Joliet Junior College with a .462 hitting percentage in the first set (13-1-26) and a .310 clip in the second (12-3-29) while holding JJC to negative efficiencies. The Stormers closed out the sweep by outpacing the visitors in set three despite a .115 percentage (9-6-26). Opposite hitter Savannah Raymer led all attackers with eight kills at .462 efficiency. Laughlin added six kills, two block assists, an ace and a dig; Krueger had six kills, seven digs and four aces; and Martens contributed 22 assists and nine digs.

UP NEXT
MATC (18-5) travels to South Suburban College on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. match against the Bulldogs.