MONMOUTH, Ill. — The Knox College volleyball team fell in straight sets at local rival Monmouth College on Wednesday evening as the Fighting Scots (8-12, 2-2 Midwest Conference) won their final home match of the season, 25-8, 25-11, 25-17, while the Prairie Fire fell to 3-23 on the season and 1-4 in the league.
Playing without one of its top offensive weapons in sophomore Maria Jabor Jahn as well as senior libero Sam Black, Knox had trouble getting much going while Monmouth posted its highest attack percentage (.344) of the season with 37 kills and just four errors.
The Fighting Scots jumped out to an early lead, then strung together 10 straight points to quickly take the first set. Kills by senior Amelia Gamez and junior Lydia Karli, along with a service ace by sophomore Bri Holland, kept the Prairie Fire in the second set early. But runs of four, six and seven points allowed Monmouth to pull away and take the 2-0 lead.
In the final set, the teams traded points before Knox took a 7-3 lead on a pair of kills by first-year Kayleigh Jones and another from junior Elle Haddon. Monmouth reclaimed the lead at 10-8, only to have the Prairie Fire tie it at 10 apiece. But the Fighting Scots were not to be denied on this night as they battled their way to a 25-17 victory and the sweep.
- Jones led Knox with a season-high four kills and was the only Prairie Fire player with a positive attack percentage on the night.
- Holland and sophomore Zoe Thunhurst each had a dozen digs for Knox.
- As a team, the Prairie Fire had a -.066 attack percentage, only its second match below .000 this year.
Knox gets more than a week off to regroup before its next match at Grinnell College (9-12, 3-1 MWC) on Friday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m., while the Pioneers have two matches scheduled before taking on the Prairie Fire. The match will be streamed live with live stats available through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox College Athletics courtesy of Grinnell.
