MILWAUKEE – Junior Hannah Pekarek had 14 kills and 26 digs to fuel the MSOE women's volleyball team to a 25-21, 25-21, 25-23 sweep of Benedictine Friday evening at the Kern Center.

The Raiders (12-14, 4-5 NACC) defeated the Eagles (4-19, 3-6 NACC) for the first time.

Pekarek hit .414 for the match while senior Rachel Lynde also had 10 kills on Senior Night. Other seniors performed well, as Abby Born posted 26 assists and 15 digs; Aleah Quast had 15 digs and a season-high eight assists; and Holly Denfeld had four kills and three blocks.

Kendall Holmes led BenU with 10 kills and Lauren Wieber had eight.

In the opening set, MSOE used a 6-0 run to seize control of the frame. Facing a slight 10-9 deficit, the team scored the next six points and never looked back. The Raiders pulled ahead by as many as six before a late 5-1 run by Benedictine made it close at the end.

The Red & White then jumped out ahead early in the second set and played from ahead for most of the game. The team steadily pulled away and staved off another late run by the visitors before closing out the game. The Eagles led several times in another hotly contested game in the decisive third. Nonetheless, the Raiders overtook them late and closed out the match.

The teams were evenly-matched in the contests, each totaling 36 kills and 43.0 points. MSOE had the attacking edge at .160, compared to .129 for the visitors.

The Raiders return to the court Saturday, hosting first-place Aurora at 1 p.m.