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The St. Catherine University volleyball team was looking to have a strong second tournament of its 2012 with a better first-day performance than it saw a week ago. The Wildcats did just that as they went 1-1 on the first day of play at the Bethany Lutheran Invitational on Friday.
The Wildcats came out strong and cruised to a 3-0 victory over the host school in the first match of the day, but struggled in their second as UW-Oshkosh had the team a 3-0 setback.
Head Coach
Corey Phelps was pleased with his team's performance in the first match, but unfortunately the Wildcats weren't able to carry that momentum into the second match.
“We hit well, but didn't play defense and lacked aggression until it was too late,” said Phelps.
Despite, a disappointing second mach, the Wildcats received strong performances from several players on the day. Sophomore setter
Jordyn Wentland (Blaine, Minn.) set her teammates up for success more than any other Wildcat as she recorded 40 assists on the day, 23 of which came in the loss to UW-Oshkosh.
Offensively,
Brittni Wangerin (Prior Lake, Minn.) led the Wildcats with 25 kills and two service aces. She recorded 16 kills in the team's win over Bethany Lutheran and also added a total of 15 digs to help the team defensively.
Senior
Kelsey Wirtanen (Hibbing, Minn.) also contributed both offensively and defensively for the Wildcats in a big way. She finished the day with 13 kills, 20 digs and two blocks. Fellow Wildcat senior
Marie O'Neil (St. Michael, Minn.) led the team in blocks with four on the day.
Though the Wildcats struggled a bit defensively, they managed to come up with a .302 hitting percentage in their win over Bethany Lutheran, which is their best team hitting-effort so far this season.
The Wildcats have a chance to improve tomorrow on the second day of competition in Mankato, Minn. However, it won't be easy as they take on UW-Superior and Wartburg at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., respectively.
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