V-Hawks Perfect in Opening Weekend

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Viterbo University Women's Volleyball team, ranked #7 in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll, finished their weekend at the Saint Francis University (Ind.) Onset Invitational with a pair of three-set wins. The V-Hawks topped #21 Marian University (Ind.) 25-20, 25-12, 25-19, and Grace College (Ind.) 25-23, 25-13, 25-18. Viterbo finishes the weekend with a 4-0 record, the Knights sit at 2-2, and the Lancers are 3-1.

The match would start back-and-forth, with seven ties by the time it reached 8-8, with Viterbo being led kills from Grace Rohde and Kenzie Winker. After falling behind 8-11, Jada Mitchel had back-to-back kills, to spark a run to give VU the 13-12 edge, but Mikayla Christiansen would lead the Knights back to a 17-19 lead. However, Rohde and Mitchell's kills, along with a Maddie Connor ace, would end the set with a 8-1 run for Viterbo and a 25-20 win.

In the second set, Rohde would score the first three points for the V-Hawks, and three consecutive kills by Winker brought the score to 9-3. Mitchell and Rohde traded kills and combined for a block during a 5-0 run, and Martina McGrath would be a part of three more block for the V-Hawks as they cruised to a 25-12 win.

VU would build an early lead in the third with the help of multiple errors by the Knights and a Mitchell solo block. Kenidi McCabe set up Connor and Rohde for kills as the lead grew to 17-8, but Marian would go on a pair of runs of their own, closing the score to 21-16, then 22-19. However, McGrath ended the run with a kill, and Winker ended to match with two straight aces.

Rohde would lead the V-Hawks with a double-double, including a game-high 14 kills and team-high 12 digs, while Mitchell had eight kills on .533 hitting percentage. Connor led all players with 33 assists, and McCabe added 11 digs. Two Knight would have eight kills, and Gianna Feld led the match with 18 digs.

In the final match of the weekend, Grace would build the early lead, 9-12, despite Winker's kills. McGrath would add a few kills and a solo block to keep the V-Hawks close, but the Lancers would still go up 17-22. That's when Mitchell and Winker would lead a 6-0 run to take the lead, and GC errors, along with a final McCabe ace, would give VU the 25-23 opening set win.

Marissa Kleman got in on a block with Mitchell at the start of the second set, and McGrath's four early kills led the V-Hawks to an 11-5 lead. Another Kleman-Mitchell block with a Connor ace built that lead to 17-8. Winker and McGrath tallied a final kill, and Winker one more ace before Rohde ended the set 25-13 on a kill from Elodie Danet.

Viterbo would spout a spread out offense in the third set, with Connor finding Mitchell, Winker, Rohde, and McGrath early for a 10-5 lead, and McGrath would add an ace as well. Winker's solo block and kills, with Rohde's ace and a McGrath-Sadie Treptow block put VU up double digits, 20-10. While the Lancers did put together a few late runs, Mia Quist tabbed an ace, and Winker ended the match 25-18 with a kill.

Winker led all players with 21 kills, the fifth most in a three-set match in Viterbo history, and the second most in her career. McGrath added 10 more kills on .529 hitting. Rodhe had 16 digs, while McCabe added 10, and Connor had 38 assists. Jadyn Ross had 11 kills, and McKenzie Stakely 11 digs for the Lancers.

The V-Hawks return to action on Thursday, August 24 against Grand View University (Iowa) in their first match at The Midland University (Neb.) Showdown.