By: After IC took a 1-0 lead in the match, the Gorloks dominated the next two before closing it out in a tight fourth set.
Box Score
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Illinois College volleyball team held off a Webster University rally to win the first set on Tuesday night, but the Gorloks got hot after that and eased past the Lady Blues in four sets, winning 25-27, 25-14, 25-11, 26-24. Webster improves to 8-3 on the season while IC falls to 5-9.
At the tail end of a back-and-forth first set, Illinois College led by a score of 21-20. Kills from
Ali Pankey and
Rebecca Shields, plus a Webster attack error, gave IC the set point with a 24-20 edge. The Gorloks stormed back with five straight points to earn a set point of their own, but a Shields kill tied the set at 25-25 and that was followed by kills from
Mikayla Greenwood and
Kori Hayes to clinch the set.
The second set was tied at 6-6, and the Lady Blues were still within two at 11-9 following a point from
Madison Klanke when Webster put together a long run to take an insurmountable lead. Illinois College committed five errors in a seven-point run for the Gorloks, who took an 18-9 advantage and weren't challenged from there.
Things went from bad to worse in the third set. After hitting .020 in the second set, the Lady Blues had six kills and 10 errors in the third set to hit -.083 as a team. Along with 10 kills from Webster, the Gorloks pulled away quickly and took a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set was nearly a mirror image of the first set, right down to Illinois College going up by four late in the set. The Lady Blues led, 23-19, and were two points away from forcing a decisive fifth set when Webster ran off five points in a row to go on top, 24-23, and earn a match point. The Gorlok victory was delayed by a solo block from Hayes that tied things at 24-24, but Webster scored the next two to close it out.
Pankey and
Elizabeth Ganley had double-doubles on the night for the Lady Blues. Pankey tied for the team high with 10 kills and had 20 digs. Ganley ended with 28 assists and 24 digs.
Madie Budd led IC with 27 digs.
Maddie Ramsey also had 10 kills.
Illinois College opens up Midwest Conference play next week, traveling to play Knox College in Galesburg, Ill. on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m.
