CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Roosevelt exacted some revenge Saturday by taking a five-set thriller against Charleston in the West Virginia capital.
The two teams met on the first weekend of the season and the Golden Eagles swept the Lakers in Ohio. Roosevelt (3-4) struck first Saturday with a 27-25 win in the opening set behind four kills on five attacks from Abigail Wutka. Charleston took the second set 25-19, but Roosevelt responded with a 25-18 win in the third set. The Golden Eagles took the fourth 27-25 before the Lakers rolled to a 15-9 win in the deciding set for their third win of the season.
The big difference for the Lakers was on defense where Roosevelt was chasing down balls to extend rallies throughout the match. Roosevelt finished with 104 digs as a team, the first time it surpassed triple digits since 2013 and the first time the Lakers hit at least 90 digs in eight seasons. Five different players finished with at least 10 digs, led by 26 from Neviah Johnson.
Braelyn Marshall paced the Lakers attack with 14 kills and Abigail Wutka added 11 kills while McKenzie Bernard had nine and Ella Anne Portu finished with eight. Bernard also had four solo blocks in the victory while Portu added three stuffs herself to aid in the defense. Merryck Brackett led the way again with 28 assists while Isa Grana added 20 helpers and three aces.
UP NEXT: The Lakers open up conference play Tuesday at home when they welcome No. 5 Ferris State to the Goodman Center for a 6 p.m. first serve.
