The Prairie Fire, playing in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd Thursday night at Memorial Gymnasium, was unable to knock Monmouth College out of second place in the Midwest Conference standings.
Knox gave the Fighting Scots all they wanted in the first set but fell 25-19. Monmouth College (9-10, 6-1 MWC) won the second set 25-13 and the third 25-15 for a 3-0 victory.
The match, designated as a "Purple Out" as part of the 2011 student Homecoming activities and in celebration of the College's 175th anniversary, drew the biggest home crowd of the season. Students wore various types of purple attire and created a spirited atmosphere.
Senior Kelly Ricketts (Galesburg, Illinois) finished with a team-high eight kills for Prairie Fire (0-21, 0-7 MWC). She entered the match 10th in the MWC in total kills, while also contributing four digs and an ace.
Junior Kristin McDonald (Chicago, Illinois) and sophomore Nina Mack (Algonquin, Illinois) each had eight assists to pace the Fire. McDonald also added three kills and nine digs. Senior Lisa Blagg (Winthrop Harbor, Illinois) led everyone with 17 digs.
The Scots were led by Chelsey Widdop's 11 kills and 10 digs. Megan Creen chipped in with four kills, eight digs and three aces while Mollie Murdock tallied 22 assists.
Monmouth's only conference loss was a 3-0 setback on October 8 at home against St. Norbert College (17-5, 4-0 MWC). Lawrence University also has just one loss in league play (12-12, 5-1) -- 3-1 against the Fighting Scots on October 7 in Monmouth.
Lawrence and St. Norbert play a key Midwest Conference match on October 19 in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Monmouth College was picked in the 2011 MWC Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll to finish first in the conference, followed by St. Norbert. Lawrence could be considered the surprise team. The Vikings were picked to finish fifth.
The Prairie Fire plays its final two Midwest Conference matches on the road.
First is a trip to Lake Forest College (8-10, 1-1 MWC) on October 21 at 7:00 p.m. LFC plays seven league contests in the next two weeks, five of them at home.
Knox concludes MWC competition on October 22 against Beloit College. The match with the Buccaneers (0-17, 0-4 MWC) starts at 1:00 p.m. Beloit hosts St. Norbert and Lake Forest before the match with the Prairie Fire.
Knox plays its home finale on October 27 at 7:30 p.m. against Eureka College. The Fire’s three seniors: Kelly Ricketts, Lisa Blagg, and Stef Baker – along with their parents – will be recognized during Senior and Parents Night.
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