Debra Leganski (Elgin, IL) and Danielle Dull (Waupan, WI) led Judson with a double-double. Leganski swatted 14 kills and had 18 digs while Dull recorded 12 kills and 13 digs. Kiley Helgerson (Inverness, IL) set a career-high for assists with 33. Cardinal Stritch had three players with double figures in kills as Kaitlin Fischer led with 17.
The first three games were decided by four points or less. Judson fell in game one, 25-22, but won game two, 25-21. Game three was the deciding factor as Judson fell, 26-24. Game three featured 14 ties with nine lead changes.
In game one, Judson took an 11-4 lead only to see Cardinal Stritch 12-4 run and take the lead, 16-15. From there on out, it was a battle. After the one-point lead, there were four ties at 16, 17, 18, and 19 as each team traded points. After the 19-19 tie, Cardinal Stritch collected two straight points on a Judson attack error and a kill by Stacy Chapman. Judson scored the next point on a Leganski kill but Cardinal Stritch answered with a kill to make it 22-20. After a Cardinal Stritch attack error to put Judson back within one, 22-21, the Wolves scored three of the next five points for the win. Judson was within one, 23-22, but a kill by Shannon Petrack and Kaitlin Fischer ended the game.
Once again Judson took an early lead, 13-7, only to see Cardinal Stritch battle back to within three,13-10. Judson had as large as a six-point lead three different times but the Wolves did not go away. They cut the lead to three, again, 23-20, but Judson scored two of the next three points to tie the match up at one game a piece.
The deciding game was game three as Cardinal Stritch overcame another Judson lead to win, 26-24. With 14 ties in this game, it was a battle all the way through. Judson had a three-point lead, 20-17, but the Wolves scored the next three points to tie the game at 20. The game was then tied at 21, 22, 23, and 24. Judson took the lead, 23-22, on a Rachel Whitacre (Manldin, S.C.) but Cardinal Stritch tied the game with a kill by Chapman right after that. A Judson ball handling error gave the Wolves a one-point lead but then they gave the point right back to Judson on an attack error. Tied at 24, Cardinal Stritch's Fischer ended the game with two straight kills.
Judson had no energy in game four as Cardinal Stritch ran off four straight points to begin the game. They took a 14-3 lead after that and never looked back.
Judson will take a week off and then travel to Chicago, Illinois, on Tuesday, September 9th, to play Illinois Tech in CCAC play.
