Game Highlight video      Interview with Head Coach Ryan DeLong
La Crosse, Wis. – Amy Braaksma (Sr. – Randolph, Wis.) led the #2 seeded Viterbo University (35-7) volleyball team to a first round Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament win on Saturday night over #7 seeded William Penn University (19-23). The V-Hawks cruised to a 3-1 victory, with game scores of 25-13, 25-21, 22-25, and 25-18. Braaksma was dominate once again against William Penn with 25 kills on 47 total hitting attempts while only committing 7 errors, good for a .383 hitting percentage. She may remain in the Statesmen nightmares after combining for 57 kills in the two matches these teams played.

The first set was dominated by Viterbo, 25-13, through its advantage in hitting percentage.  The V-Hawks had a .323 hitting percentage while the Statesman had more errors than kills. In game two, Viterbo didn't hit well (.158 hitting percentage), but William Penn hit worse (.000), which resulted in a close 25-22 set win for the V-Hawks. The Statesmen outplayed Viterbo in game three, with the V-Hawks losing the set largely due to nine errors. There was no question that Viterbo was going to win game four and the match after going up 13-6. The V-Hawks closed out the set and match 25-18.

 Katie Flock (Jr. – Sparta, Wis.) contributed 15 kills to go along with Braaksma's 25. Brianna Brinkman (Fr. – St. Charles, Minn.) dished out 21 assists, followed closely by 20 assists from Jerica Nelson (So. – Fennimore, Wis.). Jordan Blaken (Jr. – Melrose, Wis.) was her consistent self, with 17 digs to anchor the defensive effort. The team combined for an impressive 16 total blocks, led by Alicia Olson (Fr. – Eau Claire, Wis.) and Erica Willadsen (So. – Cochrane, Wis.) who each had two solo blocks and six assisted blocks for a total of 5 blocks each.

 Viterbo University will next be in action this Wednesday, November 9, when they face St. Ambrose in the semifinals of the MCC Tournament. Game time is set for 7:00 pm.