November 7, 2008

Box Score

DePERE, Wis. - The Red Hawk's 2008 volleyball season came to an end Friday afternoon with a loss to Beloit College in the Midwest Conference Tournament semifinals. Against the Buccaneers, Ripon got stronger as the match wore on, but would eventually lose in three sets. After dropping the first two 15-25 and 18-25, respectively, the Red Hawks wouldn't go away easily, losing the third set 25-27.

Beloit (18-12) managed to record 38 kills in the match, including a combined 25 in the first two sets, which set the tone for the rest of the match. Ripon (10-17) battled back with 10 kills in the final set, but also had 10 attack errors in that set.

The Red Hawks were led by Anna Alvin's team-highs of nine kills and one block. Jeni Yaeger and Amy Patton also contributed, as they each put a stamp on their Ripon careers. Yaeger's four kills Friday give her 827 for her career, which ranks seventh in school history. The Clintonville, Wis. native also recorded one assisted block against the Buccaneers, giving her 284 as a Red Hawk, which is tied for eighth in school history. Patton managed to record three kills, one service ace and seven digs against the Buccaneers, giving her the second-most aces and fourth-most digs in Ripon history. She ends her career with 126 and 1,300, respectively. Andrea Zak led the team with 11 assists in Friday's semi-final, while Sara Heim added a game-high 21 digs.

Beloit received double-digit kills from two different players. Mary Parker led the way with 12, while Tess Jacquez chipped in with 10 and three service aces. Laura Toth added six kills, to go along with two solo blocks and three block assists. Caitlin O'Leary produced a game-high 32 assists, while Christine Brown and Esther Chiu recorded 21 and 17 digs, respectively.

Beloit will now play the winner of Friday's second doubleheader between Monmouth College and St. Norbert College for a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament. The MWC Championship game will be played Saturday at 1 p.m. in DePere, Wis. and can be seen live on www.midwestconference.tv.