MILWAUKEE -- Despite a heated battle in the second set of the Alverno College women's volleyball team's match with Maranatha Baptist Bible College that resulted in a tight 26-24 win for the visiting Crusaders, the Inferno lacked the extra push to sustain that effort in their other two sets, dropping the Northern Athletics Conference match, 3-0, at home on Saturday, Oct. 25, in Milwaukee, Wis.
"We got put on edge in the end of that set," said Alverno head coach Crystal McClure. "But, we were setting to the right people, our offense was playing smart and our back row didn't give up any balls. We needed a game to wake up today, but we played really hard and fought through it. Our line-up was a little mixed up today, and the team pulled together."
Saturday's match closed out 2008's home schedule for the Inferno (2-22, 0-10 NAC), as Alverno also celebrated Senior Day by honoring the squad's lone senior, middle blocker/outside hitter Rebecca Schmid (Tigerton, Wis.).
"It's surreal for me," said Schmid, who knocked down a team-high 12 kills in the match to lift her career total to 898. "I remember looking at all of the seniors my freshman year and feeling like this day was never going to come for me, and it's finally here. I'm just trying to let everything sink in."
Alverno drew even with Maranatha (14-12, 5-6 NAC) at 11 points in the second set, fighting point-for-point until the Crusaders served three straight points to snag the win. It was as close as the Inferno would come for the day, as the home squad dropped the first and third sets, 25-12 and 25-18, respectively.
"The game went so fast because it was so back and forth," Schmid said. "I wish we could have pulled it through, but we played really tough and that's all we can ask for."
Schmid will also leave her name in the record books in digs (962) in addition to racking up 105 service aces and 77 blocks throughout her collegiate career.
Although she has consistently been a key factor on the court for the Inferno, it's the times she has shared with the team off the court that strike her as the most memorable.
"My favorite memories are all of the road trips in the vans," Schmid said. "We used to take two vans and we had walkie-talkies to talk back and forth and crack jokes."
Freshman defensive specialist Mai Kaw Xiong (Milwaukee/Riverside) also contributed as the squad's defensive leader, recording 11 digs against the Crusaders followed by freshman outside hitter Ashley Graham (Cudahy, Wis.) with nine digs.
Alverno will have one last shot at a match win on Wednesday, as the squad travels to Concordia University Chicago to face the Cougars in its final Northern Athletics Conference contest of the season.
"I hope that we have everyone with us next week since we were short a few today," Schmid said. "I hope we come to play hard so we can hold our heads high on the way out."
Match time with Concordia Chicago is set for 7 p.m. in River Forest, Ill.
