Alverno College

MILWAUKEE – Senior Alex McMath became just the fifth player in Alverno volleyball program history to record 1,000 career assists on Friday evening in front of a raucous crowd inside Reiman Gymnasium as the Inferno hosted the Concordia Chicago Cougars.
 
While it was ultimately the Cougars to pick up the 3-0 victory, the Inferno put a scare into their guests, which included a 31-29 second set score. In the opening stanza, Concordia Chicago secured a 25-18 win, while ending the match with a 25-19 third set victory.
 
McMath entered the evening with 997 assists in 60 career matches, playing in her 61st career contest, McMath made quick work accomplishing the three assists came on the 11th point in the opening set for the Inferno, which pulled Alverno back within three at 14-11.
 
McMath ended the match with 31 assist, two shy of her season high set back at Lake Forest on September 7. Freshman Rolin West had another big night for the Inferno as she amassed 22 kills, which is her highest total since the team's second match of the year, when she collected the program record of 28 against Beloit on September 3. West also led the team in digs with 18 on the night and chipped in with a pair of assists as she was second on the team with a .385 hitting percentage.
 
Sophomore Jenna Flayter led Alverno with a .385 hitting percentage as she collected five kills against no errors, and added a pair of solo blocks on the night. Classmate Selena Upshur put down seven kills, and had one ace on the night.
 
Sophomore Kiara Ellison registered three digs on the night, while junior Zahria Green chipped in with a pair of digs.
 
Alverno fell behind early at 12-4 before a pair of Cougar errors trimmed the deficit in half for the Inferno. Alverno rattled off four unanswered points before a service error gave the ball back in favor of the Cougars. The ensuing point proved to be the McMath milestone as she collected her 1,000th assist on a kill by West to pull the Inferno back within three. McMath then followed with the first of her two aces on the night.
 
The Inferno pulled back to within two at 17-15, but a brief spurt by the Cougars gave Concordia Chicago a five-point cushion once again. Alverno scored the next two points, but the Cougars closed out the set on a 4-0 run to take the opener, 25-18.
 
The Cougars scored the opening eight points of the second set, but a strong run of serves by McMath, which included one service ace along with kills by Flayter and McMath pulled Alverno back within one at 8-7. Alverno trailed by as many as seven at 22-15, but a five-point rally by the Inferno, including a pair of kills by West, pulled the Inferno back within two at 22-20.
 
Alverno was able to knot the score at 24 on a kill by Upshur, before a service ace by West gave Alverno set point at 25-24. The two sides exchanged a series of points, before the Cougars taking a 29-28 lead, which was then answered by kill by West to even the score again at 29. Concordia Chicago was able to string together two unanswered points to collect the set win, 31-29.
 
In the third set, Alverno jumped ahead by an early 5-1 score before the Cougars answered back and evened things at seven. A pair of errors and another kill by West put the Inferno ahead by three, but a 9-2 run by Concordia Chicago put the road team back ahead by a 16-12 score before Alverno called timeout.
 
Out of the breather, West put down another kill to get the Inferno back within three at 16-13, but it was not enough as the Cougars closed out the set on a 9-6 run to pick up the set win by a score of 25-19.
 
Alverno (1-14, 0-11 NACC) will be back at home tomorrow, when the Inferno host the Dominican Stars at 12 p.m. inside the Reiman Gymnasium.