JACKSONVILLE, Illinois - The Prairie Fire volleyball team competed in the Illinois College Tournament on Friday and Saturday to kick off their season.

Knox dropped their first match to Culver-Stockton on Friday afternoon 32-34, 16-25, 25-12, 22-25. The Prairie Fire then fell to Trine in the evening match 20-25, 25-21, 11-25, 14-25.

Saturday started off with a close 24-26, 26-24, 23-25, 17-25 loss to Anderson, but Knox rebounded with an emphatic 25-19, 25-18, 25-17 victory over Rockford.

Newcomer Catessa Duran tallied 40 kills in the four matches to lead the Prairie Fire. She also led the team with 10 blocks. First-year Thao Luong also added 30 kills for the tournament. Sophmore Autumn Schneider chipped in with 25 kills as well. Katie Anderson led the team with 66 assists, while Kylie Wolf added 51.

Mady Ferris racked up 91 digs for a 6.07 average per set for another good start to the season on the defensive end for Knox. She finished the 2018 season with 6.93 digs per set, the fourth best average in the nation.

"We were able to take a set in each match, so we have shown that we have the potential to compete with anyone we play," said head coach Pat Barry. "Moving forward, we will continue to improve as a team and develop a competitive atmosphere every time we step on the court."

Knox travels to Iowa Wesleyan on September 4 before heading to Macalester for another tournament on September 6 and 7.