Wheaton, Ill. -- Wheaton volleyball opened the 2021 Thunder Quad Tournament in impressive fashion on Friday evening, as the hosting Thunder took down Wisconsin-Oshkosh by three sets to one. The victory extends Wheaton's winning streak to six matches and continues their positive trajectory after a 4-0 start to conference play. 

The opening set was all about the service game for Wheaton. Marlee Anderson rattled off three consecutive points from the service position to open the game, the second of which was an ace, and the hosts eventually registered seven aces on their way to a 25-20 victory in the first set. Fueled by their strong serving, the Thunder quickly jumped out to a 9-4 advantage, and Oshkosh had a sleepy start to the match coming off of their five-set victory over Elmhurst, which was played immediately beforehand. The Titans did manage to cut Wheaton's lead to a single point when they recovered to make it 11-10 midway through the first. But Wheaton quickly regrouped and picked up the next six points to all but ensure that they would successfully capture the opening game. From that point on, the Titans never got within three points, as Wheaton ultimately closed out the set without too much trouble. The first set proved to be the only straightforward one of the night, with no ties or lead changes as Oshkosh failed to make up their early deficit. Wheaton hit .161 in the first set and registered 11 kills compared to Oshkosh's .107 mark and 10 kills. Colleen Smith led the way for the Thunder, picking up four of the team's 11 kills.   

The second set finished with an almost identical scoreline, 25-21, but a different team on the winning side. This game proved to be a more back-and-forth affair than the first, with the two teams never being separated by more than three points until the very end of the set. The score was tied at 19 apiece before back-to-back attack errors from Wheaton gifted the lead and the momentum to their opponents. Oshkosh then proceeded to win four of the next six to close out the set by a four point margin and level up the score on the night at one set each. Wheaton failed to build off of their smooth opening set performance and a much-improved Oshkosh attack made things difficult for the hosts. The Titans posted a .282 hitting percentage and 14 kills in the second set, while Wheaton only managed a .133 measure. The Thunder picked up more kills in the second than they did in the first, 13 this time, but their drop-off in service production and defensive efficiency gave their guests the opportunity they needed to work their way back into the match.

Knowing they had fresher legs and a home court advantage, Wheaton looked to bite back in the opening stages of the third set. Despite a couple of early service errors, the Thunder built a 7-3 advantage and maintained their lead from that point on. Oshkosh took the next three points to keep things finely balanced, but Wheaton turned around and won nine of the next ten to blow the set wide open. Freshman Caroline Capps posted two well-timed kills in the middle of the set to maintain Wheaton's momentum and a service ace plus kill combo from Smith wrapped things up for the Thunder who took the third set by an impressive 25-15 margin. Wheaton's hitting percentage made a sizable jump between sets two and three, improving to .304. But even more impressively, the Thunder's defensive intensity forced Oshkosh into a -.037 hitting mark in the third set, the only sub-zero figure on the night from either team.

Once the lead on the scoreboard was restored for the hosts, they used their match fitness and positive momentum to their advantage as they sailed to a comparatively comfortable fourth set victory. The Titans made things interesting in the opening exchanges, taking a 6-5 lead and tying the score up at 10-10 a few minutes later. But Wheaton controlled proceedings in the second half of the set by going on two four-point runs to put the game out of reach. It felt like senior night inside King Arena in the closing moments of the match, with Audrey Gerze registering two kills, Marlee Anderson picking up a service ace, and Briley Brogan and Colleen Smith both chipping in with kills of their own to put a stamp on the 25-17 fourth set scoreline. Naomi Bunker also made an emphatic contribution off the bench for Wheaton, earning four kills and a block in the fourth set. The home team saved their best for last in terms of hitting percentage, posting a .375 number as well as 16 kills in the final game. Oshkosh also picked up double-digit kills with 10, but had to settle for a meager .097 hitting mark.

The Thunder posted two team season-highs on Friday with 14 total blocks and 14 service aces across the four sets. Wheaton finished the match with 52 kills and a .229 hitting percentage, compared to 40 and .128 for the Titans, respectively. Wheaton also led Oshkosh in assists (47-39) and digs (60-51) in the match. Colleen Smith once again set the pace for the Thunder, earning 17 kills, three aces, five digs, and four block assists. She finished the night with a team-high .421 hitting percentage (min. 10 attacks). Caroline Capps also had a solid showing with eight kills and six block assists. Allie High continued her hot streak from the service position, registering four more aces, as well as leading the team with 25 digs. Mia Staub had a good all-around showing with 18 assists, 12 digs, a service ace, and two kills. But the statistic of the night went to Marlee Anderson, who, in addition to her four digs, earned a team-high 23 assists, pushing her past the 1,000 career assists mark. In recognition of the impressive achievement, Anderson was honored with balloons and a bouquet of flowers from coaches and teammates on the court after Wheaton's victory.

After another solid win, The Thunder volleyball team will look to push their streak to seven when they host #21 Wisconsin-Stevens Point in King Arena at 11 AM on Saturday.