Millikin volleyball bounces back with 5-3 season start

Milwaukee, WI – Millikin University volleyball completed its trip to Wisconsin by winning six straight sets over Wisconsin Lutheran College and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

The Big Blue opened against Lutheran with a tight set. Gabriella Ricci put down a set-high four kills, and the team picked up nine digs, taking the first set 25-23.

Six of Millikin's players earned a kill in the second set, bringing the team to a total of 10 earned points on a .308 hitting percentage. The Warriors made 11 unforced errors to give the Big Blue the second set 25-20.

Trailing late in the third set by four, a timeout by head coach Whitney Nichols allowed her team to regroup and make a seven-point run unanswered by Lutheran. Going back and forth, Kyra Carothers was able to close out the match with a big kill with a set score of 25-23, claiming the match 3-0.

The second match of the day featured the Fightin' Engineers of Rose-Hulman, full of competition and grit, and resulted in another Big Blue sweep.

To open, Ricci and Miley Quade both had four kills apiece, and pin hitter Thayleah Hall controlled the back row with five digs.

Following an extended second set (26-24), the Big Blue had smooth sailing to claim the match with a 25-19 closing set. Quade finished with a match-high 13 kills on a .423 clip and an additional five aces on the season. Hall and Carothers added seven kills each, and Nikkel Johnson followed suit with six of her own.

These two wins put the Big Blue at a 5-3 record on the season going into a busy week including five matches. "We win as a team and we lose as a team," exclaims coach Nichols, who feels proud of how her team continues to get "1% better every day."

Millikin volleyball is back in action on Wednesday, September 16, at Greenville University (IL) with the first whistle at 7 p.m. in HJ Long Gymnasium, also on Prepcasts.