LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Knox College volleyball team traveled to Lake Forest for its Midwest Conference opener on Friday evening, but the Prairie Fire (0-14, 0-1 MWC) were sent away by the Foresters (3-12, 2-0 MWC) with a 3-0 loss by scores of 25-14, 25-17, 25-18.
The two teams were batting in a back-and-forth affair early in the match before Lake Forest took seven of eight points — three coming on service aces — to take a 16-8 lead. Knox was unable to mount a substantive rally to threaten the Foresters as it dropped the first set.
In the second stanza, once again the teams traded points with senior Caroline Wolters provided three kills to help the Prairie Fire hold an 8-7 advantage. But the set turned in similar fashion to the first with Lake Forest winning seven of the next nine points, and Knox could not reduce the deficit any lower than four before the Foresters enjoyed a two-set lead.
Although Lake Forest claimed the first five points of the third set, the Prairie Fire put up their greatest resistance of the evening in an effort to stave off the sweep. Knox produced 10 kills in the set, nearly matching its total (11) from the first two combined, but the Fire could never quite overcome that early deficit and succumbed to the Foresters in three.
- Wolters led Knox with seven kills while also providing eight digs.
- Sophomore Lydia Karli and first-year Maria Clara Jabor John added five kills apiece to the offensive effort.
- Junior Carly Smith was a force up front with four blocks, while classmate Sam Black had a team-best nine digs.
The Prairie Fire will get another opportunity to collect their first victory of the season tomorrow afternoon when they play at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, at 1 p.m. The match will be streamed live with in-game stats available through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox College Athletics.
