The Prairie Fire dropped its first match of the season Thursday night at Iowa Wesleyan, a team that had already played four times going into its 2011 home opener.

The Tigers (1-4) picked up their first win of the season against Knox (0-1) after four consecutive losses to start the season at the Mount Mercy Zio Johnos Mustang Invitational in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  The Prairie Fire lost the first game of the non-conference match 25-18.  The Tigers held on for a 27-25 win in game two and completed the sweep with a 25-16 triumph in the third game.

Senior Kelly Ricketts (Galesburg, Illinois) led Knox with 12 kills.  Sophomore Kaylie Prince (Westminster, Colorado) and junior Kristin McDonald (Chicago, Illinois) added six kills apiece.  Prince also chipped in with 11 digs.  Junior Brittany Wisniewski (Park Ridge, Illinois) had a team-high 16 digs while senior Lisa Blagg (Winthrop Harbor, Illinois) paced the Prairie Fire with 13 assists to go along with 11 digs.

Knox resumes play Saturday at the Augustana College Tournament in Rock Island, Illinois.  The first match for the Fire is against Cornell College at 4:00 p.m. before the team squares off against host Augustana at 6:00 p.m.