MONMOUTH, Ill. ­— The Knox volleyball team showed signs of breaking through for its first victory of the year in each of its first two matches at the Monmouth College Invitational but could not maintain extended stretches of success before ultimately falling to Westminster (Mo.) College (2-9) in three sets, 25-16, 25-19 and 25-17. Milwaukee School of Engineering (3-5) then handed the Prairie Fire (0-8) a three-game defeat at Glennie Gymnasium as well, 25-20, 26-24 and 25-11.

Trailing 11-6 in the first set of the day against the Blue Jays, Knox rattled off eight of the next 10 points for a 14-13 lead, bookended by kills from senior Caroline Wolters. Westminster regrouped, however, and went on a 12-2 run of its own to take the set. And when the Prairie Fire recorded seven straight points to jump out to a 9-2 lead in the second set, the Blue Jays got back to even at 12 apiece and took the lead for good at 17-16 before taking a 2-0 advantage in the match. An 8-1 start in the third set allowed Westminster to never look back.

Knox had its chances against the Raiders as well, leading by a 17-15 margin in the opening set thanks in part to three kills apiece from senior Caroline Wolters and first-year Maria Clara Jabor John. But MSOE strung together five consecutive points and held off the Prairie Fire for the five-point win. The second set found Knox with an 8-4 lead, but again the Raiders put together five straight points. The two sides were never separated by more than two points until MSOE took a 24-21 lead, only to have the Prairie Fire catch fire and knot the score at 24. But it was not to be as the Raiders had back-to-back kills to take a 2-0 lead, then carried that momentum through the third set.

• Wolters led Knox with six kills in the first match of the day, while Jabor John posted the highest efficiency for a single match this season with a personal-best nine kills without an error for a .500 attack percentage against MSOE.
• First-year setter Justice Cardenas set season highs with 12 assists and 11 digs in the second match for her second double-double this year.
• Junior libero Sam Black topped Knox in digs in both matches with seven and a career-high 15, respectively.

Knox has two more matches on the docket tomorrow to complete the Monmouth Invite, facing off with Central College at 2 p.m. followed by a showdown with the host Scots at 6 p.m. Both events will be streamed live with stats available through the official athletics website of Knox College, PrairieFire.Knox.edu.