SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. — The No. 21-ranked Milwaukee Area Technical College women's volleyball team saw its 10-match season-opening win streak end over the weekend, finishing 2-2 at the South Suburban College Tournament on Saturday and Sunday.
The Stormers entered the event undefeated at 10-0 and opened with a commanding 3-0 sweep (25-17, 25-16, 25-22) over Lake Michigan College on Saturday. Later that day, they dropped a five-set heartbreaker to Morton College, 3-2 (25-19, 25-20, 16-25, 21-25, 7-15).
On Sunday, MATC fell in another narrow five-setter to Highland Community College, 3-2 (25-19, 25-23, 16-25, 20-25, 12-15), before rallying to close the tournament with a gritty comeback win over Marian University's Ancilla College, 3-2 (21-25, 28-30, 25-10, 25-16, 15-7).
"This weekend showed us what we need to work on," Stormers head coach
Shel DeLisle said. "We have the talent, but we need to drown out the extra noise from the opponent, their coach and the fans. Resiliency and recovering from a loss are areas we'll focus on in the coming weeks."
Match #1 (Saturday):
MATC 3, Lake Michigan 0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-22
The Stormers stifled the Red Hawks' offense, holding Lake Michigan to a combined .027 hitting percentage. In the opening set, MATC hit .324 with 15 kills on 34 swings, while Lake Michigan managed just five kills and five errors for a .000 clip.
Sophomore middle hitter
Natalia Farrugia led with seven kills, eight digs, a solo block and a block assist for a team-high 10.5 points. Opposite hitter
Savannah Raymer added eight kills and four block assists for 10 points. Freshman opposite hitter
Kayleah Laughlin hit .333 with six kills, three assists, six digs and two combined blocks.
Match #2 (Saturday):
Morton 3, MATC 2 (25-19, 25-20, 16-25, 21-25, 7-15)
MATC started strong, hitting .276 in Set 1 and .219 in Set 2, but errors mounted in the later sets. The Stormers hit .143 in Set 3, .000 in Set 4 and .000 again in the decisive fifth. Morton surged late, hitting .560 in Set 3 and .429 in Set 5 to complete the comeback.
Laughlin paced MATC with nine kills, eight digs, two solo blocks and two aces. Raymer added eight kills, two digs and a block assist. Freshman setter
Hope Martens tallied 20 assists, two more than fellow freshman
Grace Adams.
Match #1 (Sunday):
Highland 3, MATC 2 (25-19, 25-23, 16-25, 20-25, 12-15)
The Stormers' offense fluctuated throughout the match. They hit .147 in Set 1, improved to .267 in Set 2, then dropped to -.091 in Set 3. A .103 clip in Set 4 kept them afloat, but their .222 in the fifth wasn't enough to secure the win.
Freshman middle hitter
Annika Romine set a career high with 13 kills on 24 swings (.375) and added three aces, two block assists and a solo block. Freshman
Allison Chapman contributed nine kills and four aces, while Farrugia posted 12 kills on .333 hitting. Martens dished out a team-best 31 assists, 14 more than Adams.
Match #2 (Sunday):
MATC 3, Marian Ancilla 2 (21-25, 28-30, 25-10, 25-16, 15-7)
MATC's offense peaked in the middle sets, hitting .538 in Set 3 and .435 in Set 4 to fuel the comeback. The Stormers opened with a .281 clip in Set 1, dipped to .179 in Set 2, then closed with .167 in the fifth.
Romine delivered six kills on .455 hitting, four aces, two blocks and 11.5 points. Chapman added eight kills (.353), two aces and two block assists for 11 points. Laughlin was efficient on nine swings, hitting .667 with six kills, three aces and five digs. Angelina "AJ" Azbell led with nine kills on .400 hitting and a block assist. Filling in for injured starter
Kimberly Busateri, sophomore defensive specialist
Jamie Palmer tallied six assists and five digs while providing steady back‑row support.
UP NEXT
MATC (12-2) will host Triton College at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
