CARLINVILLE, Ill. — Playing its 15th match outside of Galesburg in its first 16 of the season, the Knox College volleyball team was dealt a 3-0 defeat by host Blackburn College on Thursday night at Dawes Gymnasium. Cara Pence led the Beavers (2-16) with 11 kills and 16 digs, while senior Caroline Wolters had 10 kills — matching a personal best — and 12 digs for the Prairie Fire (0-16).
A nine-point run in the first set allowed Blackburn to take an 8-6 lead and turn it into a 17-6 advantage. But Knox didn't simply pack it in, battling back to take 11 of the next 15 points to close the gap to four at 21-17. The Beavers tightened up from there and clinched the set by winning the next four points, the last on a kill by Zoe Mitchell.
A couple of early kills by Wolters in the second set had the Prairie Fire up 4-1 at the outset, and though Blackburn took the lead, the difference was just two at 11-9 when the hosts slowly began to pull away. And much like the first set, the Beavers held an 8-6 advantage when it took seven of the next eight points, plus won the final five points to finish off the sweep.
- Wolters, who last had 10 kills as a first-year in the 2021 season, enjoyed her first double-double of the season and third of her career.
- Junior libero Sam Black matched a career-high with 19 digs.
- First-year Maria Clara Jabor John added five kills to the Prairie Fire attack that had 18 kills as a team.
Knox opens up a six-game home stand next week starting on a Tuesday non-conference showdown with Rockford University (7-6) at 7 p.m. in Memorial Gym. Live stats will be available through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox College Athletics.
