JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Following a 3-3 home stand, the Knox College volleyball team hit the road and found it a bit bumpy as Illinois College handed the Prairie Fire a three-set defeat, 25-11, 25-14, 25-15. Ligaya Garibay led the host Lady Blues (13-14, 4-3 Midwest Conference) with 12 kills while hitting at a .400 clip, while senior Caroline Wolters, with five kills and five digs, was the top player for Knox (3-20, 2-5 MWC).
The loss eliminated the Prairie Fire from the race to qualify for the conference tournament on Nov. 15-16.
The first set was never in doubt as Illinois College jumped out to an 11-2 advantage and kept the Prairie Fire from catching fire as they recorded consecutive points just three times. The second set began better, however, with Knox holding a brief early lead and was still tied at eight apiece before the Lady Blues asserted themselves.
Again Knox took two of the first three points at the outset of the third set, only to see Illinois College rattle off nine of the next 10. The Prairie Fire never threatened following that run as the Lady Blues completed the sweep.
- Illinois College had 44 kills as a team compared to just 16 for Knox.
- Junior middle blocker Carly Smith pitched in three kills without an error in seven attempts.
- Junior libero Sam Black played just one set but still managed to lead the Prairie Fire with seven digs.
- The Lady Blues have now won the past 10 meetings between the two teams.
Knox will play its penultimate match of the season on Tuesday, Nov. 5 when it travels to North Central College (19-7) in Naperville, Illinois. Live video and stats will be available through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox College Athletics.
