GRAYSLAKE, Ill. — The Milwaukee Area Technical College women's volleyball team responded to a midweek fifth‑set tiebreaker loss to Bryant & Stratton with a composed and productive showing at the Lancer Invitational this past Saturday, finishing 2–1 on the day to improve to 11–7 on the season.

MATC opened the invitational with a narrow 0–3 loss to Danville Area Community College (24–26, 20–25, 21–25) before bouncing back with a 3–0 sweep of Spoon River College (25–22, 25–17, 25–18). The Stormers then closed the afternoon by controlling three of four sets in a 3–1 win over College of Lake County (25–19, 18–25, 25–21, 25–17).

"It's always good to go 2–1 for a day of play," Stormers head coach Shel DeLisle said. "We're still working on starting strong and maintaining play throughout the set. We always see strong contributions from our sophomores, but were pleased to see Onyx [Burdette] bring great offense in the CLC match, with front‑row defense from Dorothy [Hoagland] and Ella [Azbell] and Aubrey [Schwent] bringing the necessary defense and passing in the back row to secure the win. As always, we hope to build on this."

The weekend also delivered two landmark moments for the Stormers' leadership core. Sophomore setter Hope Martens reached 1,000 career assists against Spoon River, while sophomore outside hitter Kayleah Laughlin recorded her 500th career kill against CLC, two milestones that each further showcase the team's growth and steady progress throughout the first two months of the season. 

"Kayleah and Hope have been a huge part of our offense. They work hard in the gym, whether practicing or competing, and that's obvious to anyone watching," DeLisle said of her two captains. "Martens has always been a leader and one of the most intuitive setters I've coached. She finds the points when we need them. Laughlin has really come into her own this season. She's composed and lethal in her position, and she has raised the bar for anyone entering the program." 

Danville Area Community College 3, MATC 0
(24–26, 20–25, 21–25)  

MATC threatened late in each set but couldn't close the final points. Laughlin led the effort with her fifth double‑double of the season, finishing with a team-high 11 kills, 14 digs and a service ace. Martens added 21 assists, while Natalia Farrugia hit .381 with nine kills and an ace. The Stormers were unable to record a block, a defensive gap that proved costly in the tight match that routinely came down to the wire.

MATC 3, Spoon River College 0
(25–22, 25–17, 25–18)  

MATC settled into rhythm quickly, controlling long rallies and dictating pace from the back row in order to earn a bounce back victory. Martens reached her 1,000‑assist milestone in the second set and closed with 32 assists and 11 digs to help secure her sixth double‑double of the year. Laughlin paced the offense with 10 kills and a .429 hitting percentage, adding 1.5 blocks to tie middle blocker Annika Romine, who posted seven kills and hit .375. Farrugia contributed seven kills and fired five aces, while Schwent anchored the defense with 18 digs.

MATC 3, College of Lake County 1
(25–19, 18–25, 25–21, 25–17)  

The Stormers used strong serving pressure and improved first‑contact passing to take three of four sets. Laughlin reached 500 career kills in the third set and finished with 18 kills, a .455 hitting percentage and 11 digs, to earn her sixth double‑double of the season and lead the Stormers. Freshman Onyx Burdette delivered one of her strongest performances of the year, hitting .476 with 13 kills and two aces. Farrugia added 11 kills and tied Azbell for the team lead in aces with three. Martens posted her seventh double‑double, recording 34 assists and 14 digs. Hoagland led all blockers with 4.5 blocks, while Azbell collected 19 digs and Schwent added 17.

The Stormers' 2–1 showing in Grayslake offered a timely reset and reaffirmed the impact of their veteran core as the schedule continues to move deeper into the second half of the season. 

UP NEXT

MATC (11–7) returns home Wednesday for a 7 p.m. matchup against South Suburban College at the Alverno College campus in Milwaukee.