MADISON, WISC. - The Madison College women's volleyball team needed every point it could get in starting the North Central Community College Conference season with a narrow and hard-fought three-set sweep of Joliet Junior College. Playing in front of the home fans for the first time this season, the #8 WolfPack rallied in each of the first two sets before pulling out set wins of 25-22, 25-22, 25-23. The victory extends a series win streak over the Wolves to 15 consecutive matches and pushes the all-time series record to 20-2 in favor of Madison College.

The WolfPack outhit the feisty Wolves by a 39-19 differential in kills for the match, while the home team's .157 attack percentage topped the .111 mark of the visitors. Madison College also boasted a 7-4 edge in aces, while Joliet Junior College (2-4, 0-1) was slightly better at the net defensively with one more total block. Both teams had 22 total digs.

Trailing 13-8 in the opening set, the 'Pack rattled off six straight points to take a 14-13 lead. Both squads put together short four-point rallies later in the set, the last of which put JJC back on top 22-21, before Madison finished off the set win with four straight points, including a Tianna Sackett kill for the set.



Set two played out in nearly identical fashion with Joliet seizing an early 11-7 advantage before the WolfPack clawed back to tie it up at 15-all. Still tied at 21, the home team secured four of the last five points, highlighted by a Kacee Kruczek ace to make it set point.

In the third, the 'Pack seemed primed to pull away for an easy set win leading 21-15 after Paige Alsum's ace, but JJC dug in and mounted a rally of seven consecutive points to go ahead by one. Not wanting to give away a chance to close out the match in three, the WolfPack took advantage of a two Joliet miscues and a Paige Hostetler kill to seal up yet another sweep of the Wolves.

Hostetler, a second year outside hitter, continued to lead the WolfPack attack, finishing with 16 kills and a .250 efficiency. Through six matches this fall, the Green Bay, Wisconsin, native has averaged 15.7 kills per match (4.70/set). Freshmen Isabella Carrillo and Sackett each posted six kills, while former Evansville HS athlete Caitlin West came off the bench to provide a boost with five kills and a .273 percentage.

All but one of the home team's kills came courtesy of an assist, with sophomore Olivia Darkow collected 33 of the team's 38 assists. The native of West Bend, Wisconsin, is averaging better than 30 assists per match so far this season. Darkow also tied Kruczek for the team lead in aces with three. Kruczek, a product of Denmark HS, also posted five digs to match Maddie Scalissi for top honors in that category.

Up Next:

Madison College (3-3, 1-0) travels to the College of DuPage Chaparral Invitational in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, this weekend for four matches over two days, part of a challenging stretch with ten-matches in ten days. The WolfPack open Friday against NJCAA Division II Kishwaukee College (1-5) at 3:00 p.m. and then play the host Chaparrals (4-3) at 5:00 p.m. Saturday's schedule begins at 10:00 a.m. with a match against another Division II opponent and newest in-state foe, Bryant & Stratton College (1-0). The weekend's final match pits the 'Pack against rival Rock Valley College (3-4) at noon. All four matches will count towards Madison College's record in Region IV competition, however, the matches against DuPage and Rock Valley will not count as N4C matches.

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