TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — The Rose-Hulman Invitational came to a close today with the Knox College volleyball team falling to the host institution as well as Westminster (Mo.) College by scores of 3-0.
Although the Prairie Fire (0-10) were unable to secure their first victory of the season this weekend, it did get a strong performance from sophomore Maria Jabor Jahn throughout as she was named to the all-tournament team. The right-side player led Knox with 29 kills over the four matches, including a career-high 14 in the final outing against Westminster today.
To start the day, the Prairie Fire had trouble with unblemished Rose-Hulman (6-0), dropping the first set, 25-16, followed by 25-15 and 25-11. Sophomore Rebeca Hernandez-Rivera led Knox with five kills while senior Amelia Gamez added four, but the Fightin' Engineers racked up 47 kills as a team compared to 17 for the Fire to cruise to the victory.
After the Blue Jays took the opening set, 25-12, Knox played some of its best volleyball of the season in the second set, hammering 13 kills while taking a 22-21 lead. But Westminster pecked back with four straight points to deny the Fire from catching fire. The Blue Jays then completed the sweep, 25-15, overcoming Jabor Jahn's stellar showing and .267 attack percentage, 18 assists from Hernandez-Rivera and 15 digs by sophomore Zoe Thunhurst.
- Junior Elle Haddon complemented Jabor Jahn with eight kills against the Blue Jays.
- Knox hit .156 as a team with 30 kills versus Westminster, high-water marks for the Prairie Fire this season.
- Thunhurst also had 14 digs against the Fightin' Engineers, and she finished the tournament with an even 50.
Knox will be back in action on Tuesday evening, Sept. 9, when it plays at Eureka College (2-4). The first serve will be at 6 p.m. with live stats available through the official website of Knox College Athletics, PrairieFire.Knox.edu.
