JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — The Illinois College Lady Blues stayed perfect in Midwest Conference play with a gritty 3–2 win over Grinnell College on Tuesday night inside Sherman Gymnasium. IC battled back from multiple deficits to take the match 18–25, 25–19, 22–25, 27–25, 17–15.
The Lady Blues move to 9-14 on the season but still perfect at 4-0 in conference play and Grinnell drops to 9-12 and 3-1 in conference play.
After a slow start in the opening set, the Lady Blues settled in and responded with sharper execution in the second. Haylie Orton and Delani Klaas led the charge at the net, while Mady Salisbury steadied the defense and provided key service pressure to swing the momentum.
Grinnell edged out the third set despite a late IC push, but the Lady Blues refused to fold. Orton and Riley Drake powered a crucial fourth-set rally, fending off multiple match points before IC closed it out 27–25 in front of an energized home crowd.
In the deciding fifth, both teams traded points until Klaas and Orton came up clutch down the stretch. Summer Brandis spread the offense with poise, and Illinois College held off a late Pioneer run to claim the 17–15 win and stay unbeaten in conference play.
Orton finished with 14 kills and six blocks, Klaas added 15 kills and three aces, and Drake posted 13 kills and four aces. Brandis ran the offense with 34 assists and 13 digs, while Salisbury anchored the back row with 19 digs.
Up Next
The Lady Blues are home once again as they host Monmouth and UW-Platteville for a Tri on Alumni Day. IC will play Monmouth at 12:00pm for a Midwest Conference match and then play UW-Platteville at 4:00pm for a non-conference contest.
