Lake Forest Defeats Ripon, Falls to Monmouth in MWC Tournament
Team finishes the season with 19-12 record

Nicole Baich's blocks and kills totals rank second and third in team history, respectively.

DE PERE, WI - The Forester volleyball team defeated Ripon College 30-25, 30-32, 30-20, 30-16 early Friday (November 4) evening to reach the semifinals of the Midwest Conference Tournament, where they were knocked off 28-30, 32-30, 30-16, 30-27 by Monmouth College. Lake Forest finished the season with a 19-12 overall record.

Sophomore Nicole Baich (Westchester, IL/Nazareth Academy) led the Foresters with 20 kills and posted a .390 hitting percentage in the match. Junior Janelle Balcerzak (Milwaukee, WI/Pius XI), senior Meghan Miller (Williams Bay, WI/Williams Bay), and junior Savanna Shumaker (Bristol, WI/Westosha Central) also reached double figures with 13, 11, and 10 kills, respectively. Junior Kendra Casey (Wauwatosa, WI/Wauwatosa West) tallied 49 of the squad’s 61 assists and sophomore Merissa Martin (Vernon Hills, IL/Vernon Hills) recorded a team-high four aces.

Defensively, Miller led Lake Forest with 31 digs, followed by freshman Lisa Sturgill (Sheboygan, WI/Sheboygan South) with 23, Casey and freshman Lindsay Olmstead (Honolulu, HI/Punahou) with 13, and Martin with 11. Baich had eight blocks in the contest, including three solos. Balcerzak added four blocks and Miller three.

Baich led the team in kills again against Monmouth with 18. Balcerzak and Shumaker chipped in with 10 apiece. Casey distributed 43 assists and both Baich and Miller had a pair of aces.

Miller and Martin led the team in digs with 25 and 17, respectively, and Baich had a hand in four of the Foresters’ six blocks in the match.

Baich’s 409 kills on the season are the third-highest total in the team’s history and Balcerzak’s 353 rank seventh. Baich also posted the program’s second-highest block total (121) and tied her own record with 60 solo blocks. She now ranks fourth in school history with 238 career blocks and second with 120 solos. Balcerzak moved into fifth place in team history in career kills (971) and aces (162) and sixth in total blocks (224). Miller and Sturgill recorded the second- and third-highest single-season digs totals in school history with 618 and 600, respectively. Miller is the program’s all-time leader with 2,083 in her career. Casey’s 1,194 assists on the year rank fifth.

Miller and fellow seniors Keely Knack (Buffalo Grove, IL/Buffalo Grove) and Molly Smith (Watsonville, CA/Watsonville) will be the Foresters’ only losses to graduation in May.

Lake Forest - Ripon Box Score
Lake Forest - Monmouth Box Score