MONMOUTH, Ill. — After a nine-day break from matches, the Knox College volleyball team was unable to slow host Grinnell College on Friday night as the Pioneers (12-12, 5-1 Midwest Conference) remained one game behind Cornell College (undefeated in league play) in the standings with a 25-12, 25-18, 25-12 victory over the Prairie Fire (3-24, 1-5 MWC). Grinnell showcased an efficient attack, hitting at a .463 clip with just five errors for the match.
The two teams traded points early in the first set with Knox trailing just 13-11 before Grinnell took control, winning the next 10 points before taking the 1-0 lead.
In the second stanza, the Prairie Fire again kept things close, trailing just by two at 18-16. Yet Grinnell was able once again to shake Knox and pull away to take the set, 25-18.
The Pioneers led wire-to-wire in the third set, opening up a 10-point advantage at 16-6 as they subdued the Prairie Fire to close out the match.
- Senior Amelia Gamez led the Prairie Fire attack with seven kills and a season-high attack percentage of .353, plus had two of the team's four service aces.
- Senior libero Sam Black had a game-high 14 digs, while sophomore Rebeca Hernandez-Rivera provided eight assists to lead Knox.
- Sophomore Zoe Thunhurst did not play after seeing action in each of the first 51 matches of her career.
- Grinnell has won the last 10 meetings with the last Prairie Fire victory a 3-1 triumph in 2015.
Knox has another difficult test tomorrow, Nov. 1, when it plays at league-leading Cornell College (14-10, 6-0 MWC). The match will beging at 1 p.m. and will be streamed live with live stats available through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox College Athletics, courtesy of Cornell College.
