SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - The Lawrence Technological (Mich.) University women's volleyball team ended their 2018 season with a loss to Aquinas (Mich.) College 1-3 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament semifinal on November 9.

Lawrence Tech (22-12, 14-6) began the match quiet with three straight unanswered points coming from the Saints, and it wasn't until a few kills by Zakia Hunt (JR/Livonia, Mich.) that LTU caught up. Despite this, the Saints took the lead and made quick work in the first set winning 25-16.

In the second set, the Blue Devils took the early lead will a kill by Lexi Szymoniak (SR/Onaway, Mich.) and Dacey Cook (SR/Potterville, Mich.). LTU had 12 kills in the second set, which passed AC's six. At the beginning of the set, AC kept up with LTU, but the Blue Devils found their stride with kills by Kristi Doherty (JR/Davison, Mich.), Isabella McDonald (SO/Farmington, Michigan), Hunt, Varvara Gromakova (JR/Moscow, Russia), as well as capitalizing on Aquinas' seven errors. After the saints hit 13 points, they plateaued there, resulting in the Blue Devils taking the set 25-13.

The game continued to move back and forth with the Saints taking the third set 25-16. Aquinas had 14 kills to LTU's nine in this set and had a hitting percentage at 30.6 to the Blue Devils 5.6. Despite the three kills from Kristi Doherty and Zakia Hunt, they could not make up the deficit that was made early in the set.

In the fourth and final set, the Blue Devils kept the game close at the beginning, with three back to back kills from Doherty and McDonald, as well as two more from Alaina Hawthorn (FR/Tipp City, Ohio) and Doherty again, but 8-10 was the closet the score would get for the rest of the set. Within four points of victory, LTU made three kills, this time from Doherty with an assist from Reinali Calisin (FR/Edmonton, Alberta), Hunt from Doherty, and Doherty again this time assisted by Alexis Snider (JR/Laingsburg, Mich.), making it 15-23. Despite this surge, AC took the set and the game, making it into the championship match in the WHAC.

To end the night, Kristi Doherty led the team with 11 kills and 15.5 points and three service aces, followed closely by Zakia Hunt wiith 10 killls and 11.5 points. Brittany Schmidt (SR/Richmond, MI) led the team with 13 digs followed by Nichole Hyduk (FR/Macomb, Mich.) with 10.

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