Alverno College

MILWAUKEE – The Alverno volleyball team opened up Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play on Wednesday evening, hosting the Marian Sabres inside the Reiman Gymnasium. The Inferno were able to close the gap late in the third set falling 25-23, but it was not enough as Marian picked up the straight-set win.
 
Alverno was led by freshman Rolin West, who had 12 kills and had a .222 hitting percentage to go along with 14 digs on the match with a pair of blocks. Sophomore Skylar Kumprey led the team with 15 digs and added six kills and added an ace offensively.
 
Sophomore Selena Upshur tallied five kills with seven digs, while classmate Jenna Flayter put down four kills and had a pair of digs on the evening. Senior Alex McMath led the Inferno with 23 assists, and chipped in on the defensive end with nine digs, while adding a pair of kills and leading the team with two service aces.
 
Alverno kept the score close during the opening set at nine before a quick burst by the Sabres put Marian ahead 12-9. A long run by the Sabres put Marian up by six at 17-11, before the Sabres put the set away by a 25-17 score.
 
In the second set, Marian jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, and extended the margin to 11-5. The Inferno trailed by a dozen at 22-10, before Upshur, West, and Flayter connected on three-straight kills before a block by Upshur gave Alverno four unanswered points. Marian closed out the second set by a 25-16 score.
 
Alverno fell behind early again in the third set at 7-3, before a well-called timeout ended the run as Upshur and Kumprey put back-to-back kills together to pull the Inferno back within two. Alverno got within one at 11-10 before a Sabre rally gave Marian a six-point advantage.
 
Alverno put together a 5-1 run, which included kills by Upshur and West, but it was only enough to close the lead to three at 20-17. Alverno made a valiant comeback attempt late in the set to pull within one at 24-23, but the Sabres blocked the final attack attempt by the Inferno to escape the set with a 25-23 win.
 
Alverno (1-4, 0-1 NACC) gets back to play on Tuesday evening, when the Inferno visit the R. John Buuck Field House at 7 p.m. for another conference matchup, this time against the Concordia Falcons, who dropped a five-set match to Edgewood in its conference opener on Wednesday.