WAYNE, NJ- The Illinois College Lady Blues started their fall break trip out east on a high note Friday night, defeating William Paterson University 3–1 inside the Sports and Recreation Center.

The Lady Blues earned the victory by set scores of 25–23, 26–24, 17–25, and 25–21, improving to 6–12 overall.

Illinois College put together one of their most balanced offensive performances of the season, hitting .279 as a team with 53 total kills. Delani Klaas and Riley Drake led the charge with 11 kills apiece, while Haylie Orton was dominant at the net with 8 kills on .571 hitting and 4 total blocks.

Alyssa Burglund added 8 kills and 4 blocks, and Laura Kaiser tallied 6 kills and 2 blocks in a strong front-row effort.The Lady Blues were steady in serve-receive and efficient in transition, as setters Summer Brandis and Kahli O'Neal combined for 40 assists to keep the offense in rhythm.

Mady Salisbury anchored the back row with 17 digs and a pair of service aces, while Reagan Oster chipped in 10 digs and 3 kills.

The Lady Blues outblocked William Paterson 9–5 and held the Pioneers to a .200 hitting percentage to secure the win in their first match of the East Coast trip.

Up Next
The Lady Blues close out their trip tomorrow with a doubleheader against Misericordia University at 9:00am CT and Kean University at 11:00am CT.