GALESBURG, Ill. ­— Coming off a four-set victory on Thursday evening, the Knox College volleyball team duplicated its performance to knock off Midwest Conference foe Ripon College on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gymnasium, 17-25, 25-21, 25-20, 29-27. The Prairie Fire (3-18, 2-3 MWC) got 13 kills and digs from senior Caroline Wolters and eight more without an error from sophomore Lydia Karli to keep the Red Hawks (8-15, 0-5 MWC) winless in league play.

The opening set, however, did not go well for Knox as Ripon jumped out to an early 12-4 advantage and cruised from there. Back-to-back Karli kills in the second stanza gave the Prairie Fire their first lead at 9-8, and the two sides battle back and forth until Knox ran off five straight points — two coming courtesy of kills by Wolters — to go up, 18-14. The Red Hawks could not shrink the difference to any fewer than three, and Wolters finished off the set with another swat to even the match.

Knox took control of the third set quickly, going up 12-3, and though Ripon got back to within two at 20-18, kills by Karli and first-years Justice Cardenas and Zoe Thunhurst, along with a pair of Red Hawk service errors, allowed the Prairie Fire to take a 2-1 lead.

It looked as if Ripon would force a decisive fifth set when it held a 20-15 edge set number four, but the resilient Knox squad had other ideas, rallying to take a 24-23 lead. Three times the Red Hawks served to clinch the set, but each time the Prairie Fire had an answer, twice with Wolters kills. A block by junior Carly Smith and first-year Maria Clara Jabor Jahn, and an attack error by Ripon ended the match, sending the homecoming crowd away happy.

• The two teams ended with similar attack percentages (.154-.143), though Ripon had 54 kills to Knox's 38.
• Junior Sam Black led all players with 21 digs while first-years Zoe Thunhurst (15 assists) and Justice Cardenas (14) split the setting duties. 
• The last time the Prairie Fire posted consecutive victories was on Sept. 13 and 17, 2022.
• Knox had lost 10 of last 11 matches against Ripon dating back to 2011 with the only other victory coming three years ago.

Knox concludes its six-game home stand on Wednesday evening when it hosts another Midwest Conference foe in Monmouth College (17-9, 5-1) at 7 p.m. Live video and stats will be available through the official website of Knox College Athletics, PrairieFire.Knox.edu.