Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Lincoln, NE - In an eventful two match Saturday, Nebraska Wesleyan defeated North Park 3-1, which secured coach Rayna Cain's 200th victory. Later in the day, NWU was defeated 3-2 by Wisconsin River Falls.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Match One – NWU 3, North Park 1 (25–22, 25–7, 22–25, 25–14)
The first set saw North Park race out to a 4-1 lead before a Molly Ramirez kill sparked a 10-3 NWU run that put the Prairie Wolves up 11-7. From there the Vikings crawled back, with a 6-3 run of their own. With the score 14-13, back to back kills by Macy Plucker put the Prairie Wolves up 16-13. Then the Vikings stole the momentum, going on a 6-2 run to take a 19-18 lead. With the set hanging in the balance, Ella Foote delivered a match tying kill before North Park earned a point to go up 20-19.  three straight Nebraska Wesleyan kills turned the tide, as the Prairie Wolves took six of the next eight points to win set one 25-22. 

In set two, Nebraska Wesleyan jumped out to a 12-2 lead and never looked back, leading from start to finish and winning 25-7. Molly Ramirez posted three kills in the set while Ella Foote and Macy Plucker each had two. 

With their back against the wall North Park stood tall and earned a 25-22 set three victory to prolong the match. 

Nebraska Wesleyan would put the Vikings away in set four, burying the Vikings with a 12-4 start before closing the match on a 13-8 run. Macy Plucker was dominant in the set, finishing with five kills. 

Plucker finished with a team high 16 kills and also had 14 digs. Kobie Patten led the defense with 18 digs. As a team, NWU tallied 53 kills and 67 digs. 

Match Two – UW-River Falls 3, Nebraska Wesleyan 2 (19-25, 25–20, 25–19, 18-25, 9-15)
The final match of the tournament saw Nebraska Wesleyan fall to UW-River Falls in a five set thriller. Set one saw the two teams trade blows with neither team able to take more than a three point lead. As the set progressed, the two teams found themselves locked in an 18-18 tie, before Ella Foote delivered a tie breaking kill. However, the Falcons would swipe all momentum with a set closing 7-0 run. 

The Prairie Wolves gathered themselves in set two and jumped out to a 5-2 lead, before the Falcons charged back to tie the set at five. UW-River Falls then took the lead with a 7-4 run. Down 12-9, with the set slipping away, Nebraska Wesleyan dug deep and used an Ella Foote kill to claim seven of the next eight points. The Falcons would go on to close the gap to one three times but each time the Prairie Wolves responded with a kill, before closing the set on a 6-2 run. 

Set three was similar to set one in its early stages as the two teams traded points before Nebraska Wesleyan went up by three on a Kobie Patten ace. From there the Prairie Wolves grew their lead to 17-12 lead, only for the Falcons to claw back and make the game 17-15 with a 3-0 rally. Nebraska Wesleyan would go on to score eight of the next 12 points and claim set three. 

In set four, Wisconsin-River Falls started fast, growing a 5-1 lead early and never letting their foot off the gas as they cruised to a 25-18 victory. 

In the decisive fifth set, Nebraska Wesleyan struck first, before UW-River Falls responded with three consecutive points. After trading points, Nebraska Wesleyan used a kill and attack error to cut the deficit to one. From there, the Falcons pulled away, scoring nine of the next 12 points to take the final set. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Macy Plucker – Led team in kills in both games (16 in match one, 15 in match two)
• Kobie Patten - Recorded 18 kills against North Park
• Raegan Holle - 21 digs against UW-River Falls
• Team totals: 53 kills vs. North Park, 45 kills vs. UW-River Falls.

UP NEXT

Nebraska Wesleyan will travel to Illinois to take on Kenyon College on Friday, September 19th. The match is set to begin at 5:30 p.m.