ST. LOUIS, Missouri – The Prairie Fire had a difficult draw on the second and final day of the ASICS Invite at Washington University.

Up first on Saturday was host and #9 ranked Wash U. followed by a University of Dallas squad that suffered its first loss of the season against none other than…Wash U. on Friday.  Knox's two opponents also combined for four of the eight players selected to the all-tournament team.

The Prairie Fire (1-3) travel to St. Paul, Minnesota to play four matches in the ACM Tournament hosted by Macalester College on September 11 and 12.
 
Wash U. 3
Knox 0
The Prairie Fire couldn't land the big knockout blow against the undefeated Bears, who prevailed 25-10, 26-24, 25-10.  Knox trailed just 13-9 in the first set when Wash U. ran off eight straight points and pulled away.  The Prairie Fire bounced back and led most of the second set.  Back-to-back kills by senior Jamie Blue (Urbana, IL, University) and junior Nicole Heckman (Chicago, IL, Chicago Latin) kick started a 5-0 surge for an early 12-9 advantage that ballooned to 23-17.  The Bears closed the gap to 23-20, but another kill by Heckman gave Knox a side-out and set-point opportunities.  Wash U. scored the final six points to seize the second set, and then took command of the third set with a 9-1 run that stretched the lead to double-digits (16-5).  Heckman finished with seven kills and two blocks and senior Casey Stachelski (Joliet, IL, Plainfield Central) added 10 assists and six digs.
 
Dallas 3
Knox 0
Dallas withstood rallies by the Prairie Fire in all three sets and emerged 26-24, 25-23, 25-16.  The Lady Crusaders built an 18-11 lead in the opening set when Knox scored eight of the next 10 to whittle the deficit to 20-19. The teams were tied at 21, 22, 23, and 24 before Dallas closed it out with the last two points for a 1-0 edge in the match.  The second set was also tight throughout and Knox grabbed the lead for the first time at 11-10 following two attack errors on UD.  The back-and-forth continued, and the Prairie Fire staked to a 23-22 advantage following a kill by Blue and an ace by sophomore Rose Griffin (Maryland Heights, MO, Rosati-Kain).  Similar to the first set, the Lady Crusaders ran off consecutive points to snatch the victory and go up 2-0 in the match.  In the third set, Dallas – leading 16-15 – broke away with a 9-1 run.  Griffin led with nine kills to go with 17 digs to share team-high honors with first-year Rachael Powell (Indianapolis, IN, Lawrence Central).  Stachelski dished out 18 assists for Knox.