Lady Blues Awaken to Win Twice on Friday

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College volleyball team got off to a slow start on Friday afternoon, dropping a 25-20 decision in the first set to RMU-Springfield in front of a small crowd at Sherman Gymnasium. But as the gym filled up, the Lady Blues raised their level of play and IC was able to end the day by winning its last six sets for a 3-1 win over the Eagles and a 3-0 sweep of Principia College.

The Lady Blues (8-6) will conclude the IC Volleyball Tournament tomorrow with matches against Anderson University at 10 a.m. and Earlham College at 2 p.m.

Illinois College 3, RMU-Springfield 1
(20-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-19)
After a flat start to the opening match of the tournament, Illinois College kicked its offense into gear starting in the second set and handled RMU-Springfield in four sets. Lisa Lowry ended with a match-high 20 kills to lead the Lady Blues in the victory.

RMU-Springfield trailed Illinois College, 10-6, early on in the first set, but rattled off seven straight points to take a 13-10 lead. From that point on, the Lady Blues twice closed to within a point but could never tie it up. From 21-20, the Eagles scored the final four points to take the first set.

The Lady Blues came back strong with 13 kills and no attack errors in the second set to claim a 25-17 victory. The Eagles were still within two points at 16-14 until a six-point burst essentially put the set out of reach. Ali Pankey had a pair of kills in that stretch and Rebecca Shields had two service aces. 

In the third set, Illinois College scored nine of the first 11 points to set the tone, largely on the serve of Brenna Garland. With the set still in doubt with IC leading 19-16, the Lady Blues scored four straight with Lowry delivering a pair of kills.

RMU-Springfield tied the fourth set with Illinois College at 1-1 and 2-2, but the Lady Blues never trailed the Eagles and went ahead for good after two RMU-Springfield errors and a kill from Lowry made it 5-2. Lowry added two of the last three kills in the match and Mikayla Greenwood closed it out.

In addition to her 20 kills in the match, Lowry added 19 digs for a double-double. Elizabeth Ganley very nearly came away with a triple-double, ending with 44 assists along with nine kills and nine digs. Garland ended with a match-high 20 digs.

Illinois College 3, Principia 0
(25-14, 25-15, 25-17)
Illinois College carried the momentum of the earlier win into the nightcap, dominating Principia in a three-set sweep. Maddie Ramsey was the star in this match, slamming down 11 kills and committing only one error on 14 total attempts for a .714 hitting percentage.

Ramsey was at the heart of a six-point surge in the first set that saw IC increase its lead from 4-3 to 10-3. Ramsey had three kills in that stretch, while Shields and Pankey each added one. From that point on, the Panthers would get no closer than five and the Lady Blues would stretch the lead all the way to 12 before winning, 25-14.

After some sloppy play allowed Principia to come back from 3-0 down in the second set to lead, 6-3, Illinois College tightened up its play and took the lead with a nine-point swing that turned a 9-9 tie into an 18-9 lead. Ganley had two aces and a kill in that stretch. MacKenzie claimed the final kill in the set to increase it to a 2-0 lead for the Lady Blues going into the third.

Principia made IC work harder in the third set, but with the score knotted at 15-15, Ramsey notched back-to-back kills and then teamed with Pankey for a block that made it 18-15. From there, Ganley had an ace, the Panthers committed an error, and Shields and Pankey each had kills to increase the lead to 22-15. Principia wouldn't get closer than six the rest of the way as the Lady Blues closed it out.

Lowry matched Ramsey with 11 kills in the match and had eight digs as well. Ganley ended with a double-double of 31 assists and 18 digs. Garland and Cheyanne Jockisch each had 14 digs in the match.