With its back against the wall the Viterbo women’s volleyball team pulled out a third set win Monday in the NAIA final four, but couldn’t pull off the upset against the No. 1-ranked team.
Northwestern pulled out the 3-1 (25-22, 25-17, 25-27, 25-19) victory Monday evening over the fifth-ranked V-Hawks, moving onto the championship for the first time in school history.
Viterbo’s sixth trip to the semifinals again falls short, as it has never gotten to the title match. The team last reached the semis in three consecutive seasons (2017, ’18, ’19).
This is the second time these two teams have played this season. Back on Sept. 26, the Raiders (31-2) beat the V-Hawks 3-2 (25-20, 18-25, 25-21, 24-26, 15-12).
Viterbo’s 34-5 record is the 10th consecutive season — and 16th ever — going over 30 wins.
Kenzie Winker ended her career with 1,981 kills — the third most in Viterbo history — and 1,228 digs. She leads the 1,000 kill-1,000 digs club in both categories, and her 649 sets played, is the second most ever at the school.
TOP PHOTO: Viterbo’s volleyball team leaves the court following a 3-1 NAIA semifinal loss to No. 1 Northwestern on Dec. 4, 2023 (PHOTO: Nate Beier, GX3 Media, Viterbo Athletics).