Viterbo sweeps in the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round

LA CROSSE, Wis. - The Viterbo University Women's Volleyball (14-7) team hosted Madonna University (Mich.) for the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round game on Saturday. The #17 V-Hawks defeated the Crusaders 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 25-19).

Viterbo opened up play in set one on an 8-0 Lauryn Sobasky (JR/Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) service run to get the early lead. It was all Viterbo after that, leading the V-Hawks to the dominating 25-12 set one win. Set two started much closer until the V-Hawks were able to pull away after a pair of blocks by Katie Frohmader (SR/Fort Atkinson, Wis.) and Mariah Calkins (JR/Sun Prairie, Wis.) helped Viterbo gain momentum, with a 20-14 lead, forcing a Crusader timeout. Madonna was able to get the sideout and go on a small rally, but a service error at Viterbo's set point sealed the set the stage for the 2-0 Viterbo lead. Three of Viterbo's six points in set three were thanks to kills by Grace Rohde (FR/Winona, Minn.). The V-Hawks were consistent with their hitting in set three, tallying 20 total kills, with their highest hitting percentage. at 27.9. The final point of the game came from a Sobasky sneak attack at the net.

Maya Roberts (SR/Watertown, Wis.) led the V-Hawks in kills with 11, hitting an impressive .421 percent. Frohmader and Rohde each contributed nine, followed by Kenzie Winker (SO/Holmen, Wis.) with seven. Sobasky led Viterbo in assists with 24, followed by Abbey Johnson (SO/Brodhead, Wis.) with 13. Adrianna Reinhart (JR/Caledonia, Minn.) led the team in digs with 20. Cailie Kowal (FR/Onalaska, Wis.) had three service aces throughout the game.

The V-Hawks will travel to Sioux City, Iowa for NAIA National Tournament Pool Play on April 27. Opponent and game time are to be determined. Follow the action on our website or by following us on social media.