Matchday Info
Lindenwood (2-1) at NIU Invitational
Sep. 4-5 | DeKalb, Ill. | NIU Convocation Center
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Match 1: vs. Portland State | Friday at 2:30 p.m. | Live Stats
Match 2: vs. Murray State | Saturday at 11:00 a.m. | Live Stats
Match 3: at Northern Illinois | Saturday at 6:00 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats
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First Serve
The Lindenwood women's volleyball team plays their first of nine consecutive matches in the state of Illinois this weekend as they travel to DeKalb for the NIU Invitational. The Lions will face Portland State on Friday before tangling with Murray State and Northern Illinois on Saturday.
Last Time Out
Lindenwood went 2-1 at the Billiken Invitational in St. Louis last week, picking up wins against UIC and Saint Louis while dropping their contest against Buffalo:
- The Lions swept the Flames to open the season behind a 10 kill, three block performance from Autumn Bax. Lauren Ortwerth also posted 10 kills on a blistering .500 hitting percentage.
- Lindenwood fell 3-1 against Buffalo the following day. Three Lions finished the match with double digit kills, led by Lauren Ortwerth with 11 terminations. Susanna Beretti and Kylee Richey followed closely behind with 10 kills apiece.
- The Lions finished the weekend with a 3-2 win over SLU. Lauren Ortwerth and Autumn Bax combined for 36 kills in the match as the Lions hit .307 as a team. Kaci Johnson recorded 49 assists and a team-high 18 digs for her second double-double of the weekend.
Rookie of the Week
Lauren Ortwerth has been named Ohio Valley Conference Rookie of the Week following her opening weekend performance at the Billiken Invitational, where she was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Ortwerth was spectacular in her collegiate debut, quickly emerging as one of the Lions' primary offensive options. Playing in her hometown of St. Louis, the freshman outside hitter registered a total of 39 kills (3.25 KPS) on a .408 hitting percentage over three matches.
She recorded 10 or more kills in all three contests, including 18 on .608 in Lindenwood's 3-2 win over SLU on Sunday.
Spreading the Wealth
Lindenwood showcased a balanced attack on opening weekend, with five different players registering at least 20 kills, including three with over 30 terminations. Following Ortwerth with 39 kills was
Autumn Bax with 37 and
Susanna Beretti with 32. Meanwhile,
Kylee Richey finished the weekend with 22 kills while
Ashley Geluck recorded 20. The Lions hit a combined .247 over their first three contests.
Scouting Report
- Portland State: The Vikings are 1-2 to begin the season following a 3-1 loss at DePaul on Wednesday. Alivia Eikenberg leads PSU with 44 kills (3.14 KPS). Eikenberg was a First Team All-Big Sky selection last season after setting freshman records for kills (397), kills per set (3.82), attempts (1,134), points (435.5) and points per set (4.19).
- Murray State: Murray State is 0-3 after dropping nine out of ten sets at the USI Invitational last weekend. Anne Makowski led the Racers with 37 kills, averaging 3.70 kills per set. MSU is tied for the youngest team in the MVC and lost 45% of its points, 60% of its kills, and 43% of its digs off 2025's roster.
- Northern Illinois: The Huskies went 1-2 with a 3-0 win over Murray State at last weekend's USI Invitational. Three NIU players are tied for the team lead with 31 kills, including Katie Pahl, Rylea Alvin, and Autumn Flynn.
Next Up
Lindenwood plays Illinois in Champaign on Wednesday, September 9th at 7:00 p.m. before heading to Normal for the Linda Herman Volleyball Classic at Illinois State next weekend, where they will battle Purdue Fort Wayne at 2:00 p.m. on Friday and ISU at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.
