The Lawrence University volleyball team had a hard-fought loss last Wednesday to the Pioneers from Carroll University. Carroll took the first two sets and went on to a 3-1 Midwest Conference victory over the Vikes. A very enthused Lawrence fan, junior Amanda Ollerer, said that the game was “very exciting… LU came back to win the third set and almost won the fourth to take the match into a fifth game.”
Some key players for Lawrence were senior Shannon McLain, who led the teams offense with 15 kills, and senior Emma Kane, who added seven kills and 15 digs. Junior Kathleen Rowland also picked up a match-high 29 digs for the Vikings, and Diane McLeod had 33 assists and 14 digs.
Senior Jenna Picha commented, “It was disappointing to lose to Carroll since we had beaten them two weeks prior at a non-conference tournament. However, we gained a lot from this game. We started out slow but came together as a team and almost beat Carroll. We can’t dwell on this loss, but we need to learn from it and focus on the rest of the conference season.”
The Vikings overall record for this season now stands at 5-10, and their conference record at 0-1. This upcoming weekend is a crucial win for Lawrence as they travel to Jacksonville, Ill., to play the Lady Blues from Illinois College. A loss to Carroll last week is unfortunate, but with hard work and positivity the Vikings definitely have what it takes to do well in conference play as the season continues.