COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Illinois College volleyball team ended its trip to Colorado on Saturday afternoon with a tough, 3-2 loss to Randolph-Macon College out of Virginia. The Yellow Jackets improved to 15-5 with the win, while the Lady Blues slipped to 14-6 heading back into Midwest Conference action next weekend.
Ali Pankey earned All-Tournament honors for IC on the weekend.
Both set wins for Illinois College needed bonus volleyball, but the Lady Blues outlasted the Yellow Jackets in the first and third sets by scores of 29-27. In the opener, IC trailed much of the way until a four-point rally spurred by two kills apiece from
Abbie Horstmann and
Madison Klanke. That turned a 17-14 deficit into an 18-17 lead and the teams traded blows back and forth the rest of the way. With the score at 27-26 in favor of Randolph-Macon, Klanke's kill tied the score at 27-27. She then combined with
Maddie Ramsey for a go-ahead block and an ace from Horstmann ended the set to give IC the 1-0 lead.
The second set was tied at 16-16 until Randolph-Macon ran off four straight points. The lead grew to five at 23-18 and though Illinois College tried to get back in it with a three-point spurt, the Yellow Jackets held on to knot the score at 1-1.
Randolph-Macon looked primed to take a 2-1 lead in the third set, pulling ahead by a score of 20-15 and maintaining that advantage at 22-17 until an IC comeback gave the Lady Blues a 2-1 edge in the match. The rally started with consecutive kills from
Brenna Dameris. Then, with the score 23-19, a Pankey kill started a three-point run that left the score at 23-22. The Yellow Jackets earned the first of two set points at 24-22, but Horstmann was involved in blocks on the next two points to level it at 24-24. Knotted at 27-27, Ramsey and
Carlee Bale closed it out to give Illinois College the lead.
All that work would end up going to waste as Randolph-Macon zoomed ahead in the fourth set, scoring the opening seven points. The Lady Blues did well to even maintain contact from that point on, but never got closer than three points. With the score 22-18, the Yellow Jackets scored three in a row to even the match at two sets apiece.
In the deciding fifth set, the action went back and forth until the teams were even at 9-9. Two straight kills from Bailey Jones started a three-point run for Randolph-Macon and forced Illinois College into a timeout. Though the Lady Blues were able to get within a point twice after that, they could never fully make up the difference.
Pankey led the way offensively with 18 kills in the match. Dameris totaled 14 on the afternoona and Horstmann added in 13. With 11 digs, Pankey was one of two double-doubles in the match for the Lady Blues. She was joined by
Elizabeth Ganley with 57 assists and 10 digs. Both
Madie Budd and
Reagan Gifford set career highs in digs. Budd led IC with 31 while Gifford had 19. In addition to her kills, Horstmann was a force defensively as well with three solo blocks and four block assists.
MWC play resumes for the Lady Blues on the road in Wisconsin this upcoming weekend. First up is a 7 p.m. match at Beloit College on Oct. 18.
