Alverno College

MILWAUKEE – The Alverno volleyball season came to a close on Wednesday evening inside the Reiman Gymnasium, as the Inferno welcomed the St. Norbert Green Knights to the Reiman Gymnasium for their first time as conference opponents.
 
St. Norbert picked up the three-set win by the scores of 25-13, 25-18, and 25-11.
 
Prior to the contest the Inferno recognized junior Zahria Green, who will be departing the program after competing for the team for her 11-match career.
 
On the contest, sophomore Jenna Flayter tied her career-best with five blocks, with all of the coming in solo form for the first time in her career. She registered five blocks during the team's first road match of the season at Beloit, with four solo and one assisted block coming that night. Flayter also tallied seven kills and led the team with a .263 hitting percentage, as she also contributed with one service ace and two digs.
 
Sophomore Selena Upshur led the Inferno with nine kills, and added one ace, a solo block and three digs on the night. Senior Alex McMath, who will be returning to the team in 2022, finished her season with a 16-asssit effort as she notched four kills and led the team with 15 digs.
 
Junior Ziri Hernandez-Bustos contributed with two digs, while sophomore Kiara Ellison had three digs and one assist on the match.
 
After a 3-1 lead to open the match, St. Norbert rattled off the next four points before the Inferno pulled back within two at 10-8. A six-point rally by the Knights put the set out of reach as the Green Knights went on to close out the set by a 25-13 score.
 
The Inferno continued to put a scare into the St. Norbert squad in the early stages of the second set as kills by Upshur, Flayter and McMath along with an ace by Flayter put the Inferno ahead by a 6-2 score.  The Green Knights tied the match at eight, and took a slim lead at 12-11 following a kill by Upshur.
 
With St. Norbert ahead by an 18-13 margin, Upshur connected on a timely kill to spark a brief 3-1 rally, which included a kill by McMath and an ace by Upshur to pull the Inferno back within three. The Green Knights put the set away with a late 6-2 swell.
 
In the third set, the Green Knights flexed their muscle and took an early 9-2 lead. Flayter connected on a kill to make the score 9-3, but St. Norbert came back with four unanswered points and a 6-1 run to take a commanding 15-4 lead. The Green Knights took a 21-9 lead and ultimately finished off the set 25-11 to take the match in three sets.
 
Alverno finishes its season with a 1-16 record, with an 0-13 record in NACC contests. St. Norbert clinched the fourth seed in the upcoming NACC Tournament and will host MSOE on Tuesday, November 2. The other first round matchup pits the sixth seeded Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks at third-seeded Benedictine.
 
The winners will advance to take on the top two seeds, as Aurora won the regular season with a 12-1 conference mark, while Concordia Wisconsin took the second seed with an 11-2 record. The semifinals will take place on Thursday, November 4, while the league championship will be decided on Saturday, November 6, with the match taking place at the highest remaining seed.