St. Norbert College’s women’s volleyball team traveled to Russell Arena in Whitewater, Wisconsin, for a non‑conference showdown with the No. 25‑ranked UW‑Whitewater Warheads. The Warheads secured a straight‑sets victory, 25‑20, 25‑11, 25‑23, extending their strong start to the season.
Match overview
The Green Knights opened the first set with a brief lead, pulling ahead 16‑12 before Whitewater responded with a 7‑1 run to take a 19‑17 edge. St. Norbert captured the next point to narrow the gap to one, but could not close the set, falling behind 20‑19 and ultimately 25‑20.
In the second set, Whitewater surged early, establishing a 9‑1 advantage that grew into a comfortable 2‑0 lead in the match. The Warheads never looked back, closing the set at 25‑11.
The decisive third set featured a tightly contested battle with 14 ties and seven lead changes. St. Norbert briefly led 16‑15 after a block by Brooklyn O’Malley, but the Warheads reclaimed the lead each time the score reached 20, 21, 22 and 23, sealing the match with a final 25‑23 point.
Individual performances
St. Norbert recorded a .105 hitting percentage, tallying 29 kills on 105 attempts with 18 errors. Annabel Stevenson, Brooklyn O’Malley, and Gracie Buss each contributed six kills, while Kirsten Klatt added five. Setter Keira Ashenfelter distributed 23 assists. Defensively, Maddie Kitowski recorded nine digs, and both Ashenfelter and Anna Kudick added seven each. The Green Knights accumulated 11.5 team blocks, led by Klatt’s six.
UW‑Whitewater posted a .307 hitting percentage, registering 47 kills on 101 attempts with 16 errors. Senior Gaby DiMotto led the Warheads with 17 kills, anchoring the offense throughout the match.
Additional campus news
St. Norbert also celebrated junior Jacob McVane, who was named the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. The Green Bay native, a graduate of Ashwaubenon High School, returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown in a 28‑14 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran College, adding 117 total return yards and three receptions for 29 yards. This honor marks the first weekly award of McVane’s collegiate career.
The match highlighted the competitive spirit of Wisconsin’s Division III volleyball programs and underscored the importance of strong fundamentals and teamwork at the collegiate level.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
