MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Alverno College volleyball team picked up its first win of the 2026 season on Tuesday night, defeating Dominican University 3-1 at Reiman Gymnasium. The Inferno took the first two sets, 25-11 and 25-16, before Dominican battled back to take the third set, 25-21. Alverno answered in the fourth, winning 25-21 to secure the victory.
The win marks the first win over the Starts in nearly 20 years and is also the first win over a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) opponent since 2018.
Sophomore
Mary Needham (San Tan Valley, Ariz./Poston Butte) led the Inferno offensively, recording 13 kills on the night while hitting .257. Sophomore
Sofia Mitchell (Denver, Colo./Denver School of Science & Technology: Montview) added nine kills while hitting .350 and contributed four blocks, while freshman
Olivia McCann (Ennis, Texas/Life High School Waxahachie) also recorded nine kills with a .353 hitting percentage.
Sophomore
Brooklynne Hereford (Beloit, Wis./Beloit Memorial) anchored the defensive effort with a match-high 20 digs and added a career-best seven service aces. Sophomore
Beyonca Hereford (Beloit, Wis./Beloit Memorial) recorded 27 assists, while
Carley Juneau (Milwaukee, Wis./St. Francis) added 10 assists in the four-set victory.
Alverno controlled every facet of the game, hitting a solid .290 over four sets after a scoring start saw them hit .391 and .481 in the first two sets, committing just three attack errors. They also totaled five blocks, while Dominican had none. The Inferno also recorded nine service aces and five total blocks while holding Dominican to a .056 hitting percentage.
With the victory, Alverno improves to 1-4 on the season, while Dominican falls to 0-2. The Inferno will return to action on Friday, Sept. 11, hosting Judson in the Reiman Gymnasium at 7 p.m.
Alverno came out strong in the opening set, quickly building a 5-1 advantage before Dominican pulled within two at 6-4. The Inferno responded with a 7-3 run to take a 13-7 lead, highlighted by back-to-back service aces from
Brooklynne Hereford. Alverno continued to control the set from there, scoring nine of the final 12 points to take the opener, 25-11.
The Inferno carried that momentum into the second set, using a 7-0 run to turn a 3-3 game into a 10-3 advantage. Needham and Mitchell provided key kills during the stretch, while Alverno's defense forced Dominican into multiple attack errors. The Inferno maintained its lead throughout the remainder of the set before closing it out, 25-16, and taking a 2-0 match lead.
Dominican responded in the third set, taking an early 7-4 lead before Alverno battled back to make it a one-point game at 9-8. The Stars eventually extended their lead to 15-10, but the Inferno continued to fight, pulling within two at 20-18. Alverno got as close as 24-21 before Dominican finished the set, 25-21, to force a fourth.
The fourth set proved to be the most competitive of the night. Dominican jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but Alverno steadily chipped away at the deficit before tying the set at 10-10. The teams traded points throughout the middle portion of the set before the Inferno created separation late. With the score tied at 15-15, Alverno scored five of the next seven points to take a 20-17 lead. Dominican pulled within one at 21-20, but the Inferno answered with four of the final five points, including a McCann kill and a block from
Leilani Curtis (Rockford, Ill./Auburn) and
Jayden Koziol (Willowbrook, Ill./Hinsdale), to seal the 25-21 victory.
Karolina Stonkus had nine kills for the Stars and just one attack error, while hitting. 348 on the night, leading the Dominican attack.
