MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Alverno College volleyball team battled through four competitive sets, but came up just short against Dominican University in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) action on Saturday afternoon in the Reiman Gymnasium. The Inferno took the opening set 25-22 before the Stars rallied to claim the next three, 25-22, 30-28, and 25-23.

Freshman Mary Needham (San Tan Valley, Ariz./Poston Butte) powered the offense with a season-high 16 kills on a .239 hitting percentage, also adding four digs and two service aces. Sofia Mitchell (Denver, Colo./Denver School of Science & Technology: Montview) followed with nine kills and three block assists, while senior Sharisty Kooch (Terrebonne, Ore./Redmond) continued her strong all-around play, contributing 17 assists, 12 digs, and four service aces. The double-double was just the second of Kooch's career, with the first coming last September against Marantha Baptist.

Freshman libero Brooklynne Hereford (Beloit, Wis./Beloit Memorial) anchored the defense once again with a match-high 26 digs, while Holly King (Richland Center, Wis./Ithaca) chipped in six kills, 14 digs, and four aces.

As a team, Alverno hit .116 (43-25-155) while Dominican posted a .168 mark (49-23-155). The Inferno held a 78-76 edge in digs, but the Stars had the edge in service aces (15-10) and assists (46-37).
With the result, Alverno moves to 3-11 (0-3 NACC) and next hosts Lake Forest on Tuesday, Oct. 7, in the Reiman Gymnasium. Dominican improves to 2-11 (1-2 NACC) with the victory and next hosts Rockford on Thursday, Oct. 9.

The opening set saw Alverno come out strong, holding Dominican to a match-low .049 hitting percentage. The game remained close throughout, as the teams were deadlocked at 21 points apiece as the first stanza came to a close. Back-to-back attack errors from the Stars gave the Inferno the lead, and they took advantage of consecutive errors once more to win the first set 25-22.

The Stars responded in set two, capitalizing on timely serving to even the match, 25-22, as they finished the match on a 5-0 run, capped by back-to-back service aces from Fabiana Pizzo.

The third set was a thriller, featuring nine ties and three lead changes, as the Inferno nearly pulled ahead late before Dominican edged out a 30-28 victory. Alverno had three chances to win the match with set point, but the Stars battled back to even up the score and take the win.

In the fourth, Alverno continued to fight behind Needham's offense and Hereford's back-row play but fell narrowly, 25-23, as Dominican closed the match on a 4-1 run.

Ellery Shea had 16 kills and 18.5 points to lead the Dominican offensive effort, as she was helped by strong setting from Karolina Stonkus, who had 42 assists and five service aces. Veronica Henkel contributed a double-double with 14 kills and 20 digs for the Stars in their first NACC win of the season. 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. 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