HAMMOND, Ind. – Roosevelt's spirited comeback Friday afternoon came a few points short as the Lakers dropped both matches at the Midwest Crossover in Hammond, Indiana.
The annual event features every school from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Great Lakes Valley Conference and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference playing at the Hammond Sportsplex across eight courts. Roosevelt began the day with a three-set loss to McKendree before falling in four hard-fought sets against William Jewell.
Friday began promising enough for the Lakers (5-14) as they had two chances to serve for the first set against the Bearcats. Roosevelt could not convert either opportunity and McKendree pulled out a 27-25 win in the opening set. The second set got out of hand quickly as the Bearcats won 25-15 before pulling away late to win the third set 25-19.
Aleksandra Barac had a team-best nine kills against McKendree and Jessica Maier led the way with 18 assists.
After a brief respite, the Lakers were back on the court against William Jewell – the third straight year the two programs have met at this event. The Cardinals won the opening set 25-20 courtesy of a 5-0 run to extend their lead to 22-16 after a back-and-forth start to the match.
That was as far as the two teams would get the rest of the match, highlighted by the teams trading points down the stretch of the second set before William Jewell eked out a 25-23 win. Roosevelt hit .346 in the third set to extend the match with a 25-20 win, setting up a nail-biter in the fourth set.
The score was tied 11 times and the lead changed hands eight times in the final set before the Cardinals emerged with a 29-27 win. Braelyn Marshall fought off the first match point to tie the set at 24 before the Lakers had a chance at 25-24 to force a fifth set. Freshman Cleo Chang made the gutsy move to go over on two on a second match point, tying the set at 26 and setting up another match-extending point.
Barac had five kills in the fourth set and Merryck Brackett had four as the Lakers found a spark with several lineup changes. Brackett moved to outside hitter and hit .200 with eight kills in returning to the position she played in high school. The Lakers also inserted Cassie Lange at libero, and the sophomore had a career-high 15 digs and four aces while also contributing 11 assists.
Three Lakers finished in double figures in kills, led by 13 from Barac, as Roosevelt hit .254 as a team in the match, its best hitting performance since the season opener in August. Marshall finished with 10 kills and Ella Portu added 11 finishes as well. The Lakers also finished with a season-high 13 blocks, including six from Colby Watson and five from Marshall. Barac and McKenzie Bernard each had four as well to lead the defensive effort.
UP NEXT: Roosevelt will finish the Midwest Crossover on Saturday with a 9 a.m. match against Missouri S&T. The Miners won both meetings last season against the Lakers.
