PAINESVILLE, Ohio – The Lake Erie College women's volleyball team picked up a much-needed victory on Friday night, sweeping Thomas More University, 3-0, at the Jerome T. Osborne Center. The win snapped a seven-match losing streak and kept the Storm's hopes of qualifying for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Tournament alive.
Lake Erie (9-16, 6-9 G-MAC) earned its first victory since Oct. 9, controlling the match from start to finish with set victories of 25-23, 25-20 and 25-18. The Storm finished the night with a .231 hitting percentage, recording 42 kills while holding the Saints to a .112 mark and 28 kills.
The opening set featured a competitive back-and-forth battle as neither team was able to create much separation. Lake Erie used a late push to pull away, closing out the frame, 25-23, to take an early advantage.
The Storm carried that momentum into the second set, where the offense continued to find success. Lake Erie recorded 15 kills in the frame and maintained control throughout much of the set before securing a 25-20 decision to move within one set of the victory.
Lake Erie finished the sweep with another strong offensive performance in the third set that started with three straight aces from Kylie Anderson. The Storm posted 13 kills while limiting Thomas More to just seven, eventually pulling away for a 25-18 victory to secure the straight-set win.
Allison Kirch led the Storm offensively with 12 kills, while Nora Larson added 11 kills and a team-best .318 hitting percentage. Ni'yah Fuggs contributed six kills and led Lake Erie with six total blocks.
Anderson orchestrated the offense with 31 assists while also recording five kills and a match-high six service aces. Bella Kessler paced the defensive effort with 10 digs, while Kirch added seven digs.
The Storm also controlled the net throughout the evening, finishing with 10 total blocks compared to four for the Saints.
LEC has a quick turnaround as it goes right back to work tomorrow at noon when it hosts Kentucky Wesleyan in the regular season finale. The team will honor its graduating class prior to the start of the match.
