JACKSONVILLE, Illinois—The Prairie Fire volleyball team lost to Illinois College 0-3 on Wednesday night in the first conference match of the season.
 
Knox (4-11) held a 4-3 lead early in the first set and played back and forth through much of the set. Knox held a slight 15-14 advantage later in the set, but the Lady Blues used a 4-0 run to take an 18-15 lead. The Prairie Fire battled back to a one-point deficit, but IC held on for a 25-21 victory.
 
The Lady Blues jumped out to an early 9-2 lead in the second set. Knox brought the set to within six, but could not get much going. IC ended the set with eight straight points to earn the 25-10 win.
 
The Lady Blues took the first four points of the third set, but the Prairie Fire stormed right back to cut the deficit to take a 7-6 lead. After a few lead changes, the score was knotted at 20-20. IC took advantage of a 5-0 run to close out the set and the match.
 
"We played really well in sets 1 and 3 against a very strong conference opponent. Set 2 was just way too many self-inflicted errors," said head coach Ashley McDonough. "Our lineup was one we haven't used before and the team did a fantastic job adjusting. Obviously the team was disappointed in the loss, but for the most part they showed improvement in both team defense and running a fast offense. We definitely didn't walk out of the gym with our heads hanging. If anything it gave us a boost of confidence in moving forward."
 
Katie Anderson led Knox with nine kills and Autumn Schneider chipped in seven of her own. Mady Ferris racked up another 18 digs, just under her season average of 6.80 digs per set. She is currently ranked fourth in the nation in digs per set. Kylie Wolf picked up 24 assists to lead the Prairie Fire.
 
Knox returns home to host Lake Forest on September 29.