Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 | Box Score 4

Galesburg, IL – The Knox volleyball team played three of four opponents to close matches but couldn't pull out a win in the Prairie Fire Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Memorial Gym.

MacMurray College 3
Prairie Fire 1

Knox opened the tournament against MacMurray College on Friday afternoon.  The Prairie Fire got off to a good start by taking the first set 25-23.  The Highlanders, however, won the next three 25-22, 25-20, 25-22 to claim the match.  Senior Kaylie Prince (Westminster, CO, Standley Lake) had a season-high 16 kills to go along with 14 digs.  Sophomore Casey Stachelski (Joliet, IL, Plainfield Central) contributed 31 assists and first-year Madison Pierro (La Jolla, CA, Tri City Christian School) added a team-best 21 digs.
 
William Penn University 3
Prairie Fire 1

Knox met William Penn University in the team's second match on Friday, and like the match against MacMurray, hung close with the Statesmen.  WPU won the first two sets 25-15, 25-13 before the Prairie Fire stormed back and prevailed 25-20 in the third set to stay alive.  William Penn held off Knox 25-17 in the fourth set for the match victory.  Prince and first-year Lauren Metcalf (Corona, CA, Centennial) led the Prairie Fire with nine kills apiece.  Metcalf also had three aces and two blocks.  Stachelski dished out 21 assists and Pierro led with 25 digs.
 

Loras College 3
Prairie Fire 0

Loras came out on a roll and defeated Knox in three straight sets 25-17, 25-11, 25-11 in the Saturday morning match.  Prince totaled six kills and Stachelski had 11 assists and nine digs to lead the Prairie Fire.
 

Principia College 3
Prairie Fire 0

Knox gave a solid Principia team a good run in a final score that doesn't indicate how close the match was.  The Panthers took the first set 25-19.  The Prairie Fire surrendered a 20-14 advantage in the second set and fell 25-23.  Principia jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the third set.  Knox clawed back to within 13-9 but could never draw any closer and the Panthers completed the match sweep with a 25-16 set victory.  Prince again led the Prairie Fire in kills with eight and had 10 digs.  Fellow senior Amber Eisha (South Wilmington, IL, Gardner-South Wilmington) chipped in with five kills, four aces, and 10 digs.  Stachelski finished with 18 assists and Pierro had a team-high 14 digs.

The Prairie Fire volleyball team resumes play at the ACM Tournament, hosted by Luther College, on September 13 and 14.

The first opponent for Knox (1-7) is Macalester College on the opening day at 5:00 p.m. followed by a meeting with Carleton College at 7:00 p.m.  The opponents on the second day of the tournament are host Luther at 10:00 a.m. and Colorado College at 5:30 p.m.

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