Decatur, Ill. – The Wheaton volleyball team earned a significant conference win on Wednesday night with a 3-2 victory at Millikin (11-6, 2-2 CCIW). Wheaton won the first set 25-20 and defeated the Big Blue 25-23 in the second set to go up 2-0 in the match score. Millikin rallied with a 26-24 win in the third set and the hosts won the fourth set 25-17 to tie the match score 2-2. Wheaton earned a win in the match by defeating Millikin 15-11 in the decisive fifth set. Wheaton is now 11-7 overall and 4-0 in CCIW play.
Head coach
Stephanie Schmidt said of the road victory, "I think this is a signature win. We haven't beaten Millikin since 2015 and starting conference play at 4-0 also makes this a signature win." The Thunder mentor says of her team battling from a 2-2 tie to win the match at 3-2, "On occasion we can be down, but this team is never out. We had every reason to get frustrated and roll over, but we just don't do that."
Senior outside hitter
Colleen Smith led the Thunder with 14 kills. She added nine digs and 26 serve receptions.
Kaylee Byerly had nine kills for the guests with a .400 attack percentage to go with five total blocks, including two solo stops.
Briley Brogan tallied eight kills with a .375 attack percentage and
Audrey Gerze also tallied eight kills. Freshman
Ashton Major tallied seven kills and fellow rookie
Caroline Capps tallied six kills.
Senior
Marlee Anderson (PICTURED LEFT) led Wheaton with 22 assists and
Mia Staub added 16 assists. Anderson had two service aces for the guests. Libero
Allie High had a match-high 19 digs, while Staub recorded 10. Gerze had nine digs and Anderson tallied eight digs.
The Thunder won the first set 25-20. Millikin led 3-2 early in the first set when Smith recorded a kill to the match at 3-3 and start a 7-2 Thunder run to give the guests a 9-5 lead. Wheaton's largest lead in the set was six points, occurring on four occasions, including the final time a 22-16 Thunder advantage. Smith led the Thunder with four kills in the set, and Byerly added three. Anderson distributed six assists, and Gerze had a team-high four digs in the set.
Wheaton picked up a 25-23 win in the second set. Millikin scored the first four points in the second set. The Big Blue led 8-4 when Capps tallied a kill that sparked a string of six-consecutive points for the Thunder to give the guests a 10-8 lead. The match was tied 16-16 when the Thunder scored three-consecutive points, highlighted by kills by Byerly (PICTURED RIGHT) and Capps to take a 19-16 lead. Wheaton led for the remainder of the set following the key run. Capps led the Thunder with four kills, while Smith and Gerze each tallied three. Staub and Anderson each distributed seven assists and Smith had a team-best four digs in the set.
Millikin won the third set 26-24. The hosts led 23-19 when Wheaton rattled off five-consecutive points to take a 24-23 lead. Capps recorded a kill in the 5-0 Thunder run. Millikin responded with three-straight points to win the set 26-24. Major led the Thunder with three kills in the set and High had a team-leading six digs.
The Big Blue won the fourth set 25-17. The set was tied 16-16 when the hosts put together a 9-1 run to close it out. Brogan had three kills in the set and High tallied five digs.
Wheaton defeated Millikin 15-11 in the fifth set. The set was tied 2-2 when Wheaton out-scored Millikin 6-2 to give the guests an 8-4 advantage. Wheaton led for the remainder of the set thanks to the scoring run. The Thunder led 11-10 and closed out the match with a 4-1 Wheaton run that included two kills by Smith and one kill apiece from Brogan (PICTURED LEFT) and Ashton.
Wheaton hosts the Wheaton Thunder Quad this Friday and Saturday in King Arena. The team entertains UW-Oshkosh on Friday at 7:00 p.m., preceded by a match between Wheaton and UW-Oshkosh at 5:00 p.m. On
Saturday at 9:00 a.m. Elmhurst faces UW-Stevens Point at 9:00 a.m. and the Thunder will host the Pointers at 11:00 a.m.
