MADISON, WISC. - It lived up to it's billing as the number one and two ranked teams in the the latest NJCAA Division III Poll played to a decisive fifth set on Thursday at Redsten Gymnasium. In the end, undefeated Harper College held on to that adjective, topping the Madison College by scores of 25-21, 25-27, 25-22, 22-25, and 15-9. The win also gives the #1 Hawks a one game lead over the #2 WolfPack in the North Central Community College Conference standings.

The match opened with the home team hitting an impressive .306 in the opening set, however, Harper College (19-0, 6-0) pulled out a four-point victory. Madison College (19-2, 5-1) fought back in the second and outlasted the nation's number one team in a drama-filled second set. After splitting the third and fourth sets by identical scores, the match came down to a decision fifth set and the visitors stormed out to a big 8-2 lead. That advantage held up as the Hawks defeated the 'Pack for third time in the last four meetings.

Overall, Madison College tallied 58 kills and 45 assists while hitting at a .232 clip. They also collected 115 digs and five blocks in a losing effort.

Sophomore TeAnn Harms paced the WolfPack attack with 15 kills and posting a .316 attack percentage. Fellow second year Andrea Bauer rattled off 14 kills at a team-leading .351 percentage. The outside hitter also was second on the team with 28 digs for her tenth double-double of the season.

Freshman Megan Corcoran also reached double-digit kills, doing so for the first time in her collegiate career. The Madison, Wisconsin, native finished with a dozen kills off a season-high 35 attempts. The 5'10" outside hitter also registered her first career double-double, pairing the 12 kills with 13 digs. Sophomore Natasha Swiggum also posted a career high in kills, smashing ten to go along with a team-best three blocks in the match.

Sophomore Taylor Genthe had 44 assists, her third highest total of the season since moving over from outside hitter.

Defensively, Kaitlin Mooney set a new career-high with 33 digs, surpassing the 30-dig plateau for the fourth time this year. Genthe tallied 19 digs for her fifth double-double, while Keifer Zimmerman had 14 digs

Madison College will enjoy a week off - it's longest stretch of the season - before continuing it's extended homestand against Rock Valley College (7-9, 3-3) on Thursday, September 29. The Golden Eagles, who have fallen out of the national rankings after starting the season at #9, own a 19-17 lead in the all-time series. However, the rivalry has been completely one-sided of late with the WolfPack winning the last 11 matches dating back to 2012.

The match is also Alumni Night, as all former WolfPack players and their families are encouraged to attend. First serve is at 6:00 p.m.

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