MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Alverno College volleyball team competed strongly throughout the final two sets but were swept by the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) matchup on Thursday night. After dropping the opening set 25-13, the Inferno battled in the final two frames before falling narrowly 25-22 and 25-20.

Senior Sharisty Kooch (Terrebonne, Ore./Redmond) turned in a strong two-way effort, finishing with nine assists and 12 digs, narrowly missing a double-double. Freshman Brooklynne Hereford (Beloit, Wis./Beloit Memorial) paced the defense with 13 digs, while freshman Mary Needham (San Tan Valley, Ariz./Poston Butte) led the offense with nine kills, a service ace, and also added a block assist.

MSOE hit .223 (39-16-103) to fuel the victory, while holding Alverno to a .078 clip (21-14-90). The Raiders also held a 51-43 edge in digs and finished with 11 service aces to the Inferno's four.

With the result, Alverno falls to 3-10 (0-2 NACC) and is home to host Dominican on Saturday, Oct. 4, at noon inside Reiman Gymnasium. MSOE improves to 4-12 (2-0 NACC) and hosts Benedictine the same afternoon.

In the opening set, the Inferno used a 5-0 run to take a brief 7-6 lead before MSOE responded strongly and pulled away at the end with an 8-1 spurt for a 25-13 win.

Set two was a back-and-forth battle, featuring 10 ties as Alverno had a strong response after the first set loss. Midway through, after back-to-back points from the Inferno evened the score at 12-12, MSOE responded with a 4-0 run to take a 16-12 lead. Alverno answered with a 9-1 surge, capped by a Needham ace, to move in front 21-17. The Raiders, however, closed strongly once again with an 8-1 finish to claim the set, 25-22, and build a two-set lead.

The third set saw Alverno jump ahead 7-5 behind a 6-3 run that capitalized on consecutive MSOE errors. The Inferno stayed close until a five-point Raider run gave the road team a 16-13 edge. Alverno cut the deficit to two late on a Kooch kill, but MSOE held on, finishing with a 4-1 run to secure the sweep.

MSOE's Ana Knutson led the offense with nine kills and 13 points, adding three service aces and two block assists. Katie Taticek anchored the defense with 18 digs while also contributing five service aces and four kills on a perfect 10 attempts. More Than a Game, 25 Years of Strength and Spirit: Alverno College is proud to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Alverno Athletics. Since 2000, our student-athletes have embodied the spirit of competition, teamwork, and excellence both on and off the courts and fields. Join us in honoring a quarter-century of Inferno pride on the following dates as we celebrate 25 years of strength and spirit -

• Volleyball vs. Dominican on October 4^th at noon
• Volleyball vs. Rockford on November 1^st at noon
• Softball vs. Maranatha on March 31^st at 3 p.m.
• Softball vs. Concordia Wisconsin on April 25 at noon