On a milestone-ascending evening Sept. 8, Mount Vernon Nazarene University women’s volleyball team advanced its record to 13-1 on the season and 2-0 in conference play, winning its 11th consecutive match with a four-set victory over the Grace College Lancers. On an individual note, Lady Cougar Nicole Winkler reached a milestone by slamming home her 1,000th career kill.
MVNU took the match in four, hard-earned sets. After dropping the first set 25-27, the Lady Cougars pulled it together and took the last three by scores of 27-25, 25-20 and 25-21.
Winkler set her career mark by way of her 21 kills on the night. She also finished the match with a strong defensive performance that included six digs. Other stars of the night for the Lady Cougars included Ellie Ruby, who tied for the match high in digs with 28, and Ashley Stumperth, who had a career-high 23 digs, along with 17 kills.
MVNU’s Paige Brenner continued to put up big numbers for the Lady Cougars with a whopping 55 assists to go with 13 digs and three kills. Teammate Tory Small had 16 kills and a .333 hit percentage. She also added a block.
“What a great match for both teams tonight," Lady Cougar head volleyball coach Kendra Mosher said. "Our team came out and was ready to fight. We knew it was going to be a battle and we never let up. I’m so proud of our team for being so tough throughout our road trips. To be 13-1 without a home game yet shows this team’s grit.”
