Lourdes had its three-match winning streak snapped on Saturday afternoon, as the Gray Wolves suffered a 25-18, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18 setback to 16
th-ranked Madonna at the Activities Center in Livonia, Mich.
"We need to get back to our efficient hitting and play solid defense in order to beat good teams," head coach
Greg Reitz said after the match. "I look for us to play a lot better in our remaining matches in order to finish the regular season strong."
The opening set was tied at 10 before the Crusaders went on a 9-4 run to seize control and take the early lead in the match. Madonna limited Lourdes to just 0.068 hitting in the stanza while putting down 14 kills in the win. Lourdes bounced back to even the match after trailing 14-10 in the second set. A 12-6 run by the Gray Wolves put them in front for good, tying the contest at one set.
The Gray Wolves jumped out to a 16-9 lead in the third before Madonna battled back, taking advantage of 11 hitting errors by Lourdes in the third. A 13-4 run put the hosts in front and allowed the Crusaders to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Madonna never trailed in the fourth, hitting .280 as a team, as the Crusaders remained unbeaten in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play.
Emily Arnold (Sylvania, Ohio/Southview H.S.) and
Tylar Roberson (Elkhart, Ind./Central H.S.) led Lourdes offensively with 11 kills each. Arnold hit a team-leading .308 while adding four assists and Roberson had a double-double with 11 digs.
Jami Markus (Oregon, Ohio/Central Catholic H.S.) handed out 35 assists and registered four service aces while defensively,
Angelica Dippold (Louisville, Ky./Mercy Academy) had 19 digs and
Kristin Murrell (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic H.S.) added 16 more.
Amanda Hawkins led Madonna (27-3, 12-0 WHAC) with 19 kills and hit .324 while Alyssa Facione had a match-high 22 digs.
Lourdes (18-8, 9-3) will return home on Wednesday evening, as the Gray Wolves host 18
th-ranked Cornerstone. First serve is set for 7 p.m. inside of the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.
