No. 13-ranked Wayne State dropped its first match of the season Saturday in the final day of the Oredigger Classic in Golden, Colo., losing to 15th rated Cal State-San Bernardino in their final match of the day.
Wayne State opened with an easy three-set win over Western New Mexico, winning 25-23, 25-15, 25-20.
The first set saw the two teams exchange nine ties and five lead changes early in the match. WSC then built a 24-19 lead and held off a late Mustang rally to finish the first set. Maria Wortmann produced three kills and four blocks while freshman Alyssa Ballenger had eight digs to lead the Wildcats. As a team, Wayne State had seven blocks and forced 12 attack errors on the Mustangs.
The Wildcats took control early in the second set, building an 8-2 lead, and never trailed to take a 2-0 advantage. Wortmann had a team-high four kills in the set while Bree Ackermann accounted for two service aces.
The third set was a battle early with 11 ties and five lead changes until Wayne State scored the last five points of the set to break a 20-20 tie to finish the sweep. Katie Stephens had six kills and six digs for the Wildcats in the third set while Ballenger added 10 digs.
Wortmann led the way with 10 kills and eight blocks followed by Stephens with nine kills and 10 digs. Erin Gross added seven kills and five blocks while Ballenger finished with a team-high 22 digs. Megan Gebhardt had 31 set assists and two service aces while Haley Kauth finished with 11 digs.
In the final match, Cal State-San Bernardino dropped the first two sets, but rallied for a 21-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-19, 18-16 win to hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season.
The first set saw WSC break a 19-19 tie late and pull away with the first set. Jaci Brahmer produced five kills in the first set with Ballenger recording nine digs for the ‘Cats.
The Wildcats hit .419 in the second set with 13 kills and no errors to lead from start to take a 2-0 advantage. Gross led a balanced attack with four kills while the Wildcats defense forced eight attack errors on CSSB.
Cal State San Bernardino started their comeback in the third set, holding Wayne State to a .108 attack percentage, then used 18 kills in the fourth set to force the final set.
The fifth set was a battle with the two teams trading nine ties and four lead changes. Wayne State hit .333 in the set with 11 kills and just two errors but Cal State San Bernardino was slightly better at .393 with 14 kills and the Coyotes edged WSC 18-16 to get the win.
Brahmer paced Wayne State (3-1) with 16 kills and six blocks. Gross added 14 kills with seven blocks while Wortmann accounted for 11 kills and seven blocks. Gebhardt was credited with 43 set assists and had two service aces while Kauth finished with a team-high 24 digs followed by Ballenger with 22.
Wayne State will be back in Colorado next weekend, playing at the CSU Pueblo Tournament Friday and UC-Colorado Springs Tournament Saturday with two matches each day.
