Box Score

Galesburg, IL – The Prairie Fire's bid for a third straight win, including two in a row to begin Midwest Conference play, was derailed by Grinnell College on Saturday at Memorial Gym.

The Pioneers pulled out a 3-0 victory (25-21, 25-21, 25-18).

Knox had won its last two matches, both 3-1, at home against Eureka College on September 17 and at Illinois College to open the league schedule on September 24.

Grinnell, meanwhile, dropped its first Midwest Conference match 3-2 at Monmouth College on September 27 – marking the Pioneers' 17th consecutive loss without a win in 2013.

The Prairie Fire (3-12, 1-1 MWC) and Grinnell were tied at 7-7 in the first set when the visitors scored seven straight points for a 14-7 lead.  GC built a 10 point lead at 22-12, and was one point away from a win in the first set, on top 24-15, when Knox rallied with six straight points.

Sophomore Casey Stachelski (Joliet, IL, Plainfield Central) served during a 5-0 run by the Prairie Fire that whittled the deficit down to 24-21.

The Pioneers scored the next point to take the first set 25-21 and go up 1-0 in the match.

Grinnell (1-17, 1-1 MWC) raced out to a 5-1 lead in the second set.  Knox, after trailing by as many as five points – including 14-9 – came back to tie the Pioneers at 16, 18, and 19.

Grinnell never gave up the lead and outscored the Prairie Fire 6-2 the rest of the way to claim another 25-21 decision for a 2-0 match lead.

The third set was similar to the second with Grinnell scoring the first four points for an early advantage.  The Prairie Fire on three occasions inched within a point of the Pioneers (at 8-7, 9-8, and 10-9), but were unable to put a string of points together tie or take a lead and build on it.

Following a kill by junior Katie White (Peoria, IL, Peoria Notre Dame) that pulled Knox within two points at 12-10, Grinnell rolled off 10 of the next 14 points for an eight point cushion at 22-14.

Prairie Fire senior Kaylie Prince (Westminster, CO, Standley Lake) snapped a string of four straight points by the Pioneers with a kill for a 22-15 score.  Grinnell followed with consecutive points to grab the biggest lead of the set at 24-15.

Knox refused to go quietly and scored three straight points – two on serves by first-year Madison Pierro (La Jolla, CA, Tri City Christian School), to move within 24-18.

Grinnell scored on a kill to win the set 25-18 and take the match 3-0.

Prince had a match-high 12 kills for the Prairie Fire while adding five digs.  Stechelski led all players with 25 assists to go along with two service aces and 10 digs.  Senior Amber Eisha (South Wilmington, IL, Gardner-South Wilmington) recorded a team-high 13 digs and Pierro contributed 12 digs and three aces.  In addition, junior Katie White (Peoria, IL, Peoria Notre Dame) put down seven kills, and her attack percentage was a season-high .545.
 
Photos from this volleyball match and the 2013 season are online at the Knox College Flickr channel

Knox tries to start a new winning streak against Aurora University on Tuesday, October 1 inside Memorial Gym at 7:00 p.m.  The match will be streamed live online at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/knox.portal#/

Aurora (7-11) won four straight matches after starting the season 3-7 to climb to the .500 mark before losing four in a row at the IIAC-NACC Tournament on September 27-28 in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.  The Spartans four losses were against Buena Vista University (3-1), Central College (3-2), Simpson College (3-0), and Luther College (3-2).

The Prairie Fire resume Midwest Conference play at Lake Forest College on October 4 at 7:00 p.m.

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