RIPON, WIS. - In the first two weeks of the season, the St. Catherine University volleyball team has already faced several challenges on the court. In the past week alone, the Wildcats faced some of the top teams in both the Midwest and the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) with matches against Nebraska Wesleyan and Saint Mary's University.

On Friday, St. Kate's faced two more challenging teams on the first day of the Ripon College Tournament in Ripon, Wisconsin. The Wildcats opened with a 3 p.m. match against the host Ripon College then followed that with a 5 p.m. match against Alverno College. Despite dropping the first match 3-2 (25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 18-25, 9-15), St. Kate's continued to show resilience in 3-0 (25-13, 26-24, 25-18) win over Alverno.

After suffering their first conference loss of the season on Wednesday, the Wildcats were looking to get back in the "W" column in their first match against Ripon College. After the first set, it looked like St. Kate's would do just that. The Wildcats won the opening set 25-20, thanks to a fantastic performance from their offense. St. Kate's hit .200 in the opening set behind an eight kill performance from outside Payton Baker (Forest Lake, Minn. / Forest Lake).  The sophomore led the team with a career-high 23 kills in the five-set match and played a key roll in the Wildcats offense. The two setters, Johna Radke (Muskego, Wis. / Muskego) and Emily Neumann (Duluth, Minn. / Hermantown) also had career nights with 35 and 20 assists respectively.

St. Kate's defense was also significant in the team's two set victories. Shanee Herd (Alexandria, Minn. / Jefferson) and Abby Palmer (Pequot Lakes, Minn. / Pequot Lakes) combined for 49 digs in the match, while the block continued to be a huge asset for the Wildcats. First year Hannah Flatness (Elk Mound, Wis. / Elk Mound) had a career high eight blocks in the match while Mackenzie Peper (Osceola, Wis. / Osceola) added six of her own.

Despite St. Kate's strong offensive and defensive play, Ripon was able to steal the second and fourth sets to force the decisive fifth. The two teams traded the lead for the first 12 points of the set resulting in a 6-6 knot. However, the Redhawks won five of the next seven points. The Wildcats were never able to recover, dropping the set 15-9 and losing the match 3-2.

St. Kate's did not let the initial disappointment of the loss take over, though. Instead, the team rallied to beat Alverno in straight sets 25-13, 26-24, and 25-18.

The Wildcats dominated the match from the beginning, jumping out to a 7-3 lead behind a 4-0 serving run from Johna Radke. However, just when the Inferno threatened to cut into the Wildcats lead, Palmer went on an eight point serving run, putting St. Kate's ahead 19-9. After Palmer's run, Alverno was unable to dent the Wildcats lead, as St. Kate's went on to win the first set 25-13.

The second set was the opposite of the first, as the Inferno jumped out to a 12-4 lead. However, with Anna Schrupp (Eden Prairie, Minn. / Eden Prairie) at the service line, the Wildcats were able to cut into Alverno's lead. Bailey Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn. / Kenyon-Wanamingo) and Libby Kreuser (White Bear Lake, Minn. / Totino-Grace) hit back-to-back kills, cutting the lead to 12-7 and then 12-8.

Still, the Inferno threatened to run away with the set, taking a 21-17 lead. By this time, though, Schrupp was back behind the line and served St. Kate's within three of Alverno.

With the momentum back on their side, the Wildcats continued fight until the score was tied at 24 all. Schrupp once again put St. Kate's on top, this time with two kills from the outside, sealing the 26-24 victory.

After winning the second set, the Wildcats went on to win the third set 25-18. Schrupp hit a career high 13 kills in the three match victory while Palmer and first year Sarah Mullen (Oakdale, Minn. / North) added 10.

"We were able to get everyone some playing time today," head coach Corey Phelps said after the second match. "We are hoping to clean a few things up and finish well tomorrow."

St. Kate's now improves its record to 7-4 overall with a 0-1 mark in conference play. The Wildcats return to the court Saturday for a 10 a.m. match against Lawrence University and a 2 p.m. match against the University of Dubuque.