JACKSONVLLE, Ill.- Illinois College Esports battled hard but fell 1-2 to Buena Vista in their latest MVEC Valorant series, with some impressive moments throughout the night.
Game 1, played on Fracture, saw Illinois College dominate with a 13-3 win, fueled by exceptional performances from Dwight "Rhunn" Duijneveld and Noah "Ponyboy" Horsman. The pair combined for 51 kills and just 12 deaths, giving the team an early 1-0 lead in the series.
Unfortunately, the momentum shifted in Game 2 on Lotus. Despite strong showings from Ekko Nguyen, JC Izaguirre-Gomez, and Carter Naeve, who contributed 41 kills, Illinois College fell short, losing 10-13.
The series concluded with a 7-13 defeat on Abyss. The team struggled to break through on attack, heading into halftime down 4-8, which proved to be too steep of a hill to climb in the second half.
This loss places Illinois College in 6th place with a 0-5 record in MVEC play, but they remain in playoff contention. The team will likely face Coe College in a 3rd vs. 6th seed matchup, where they'll need to step up their game and aim for an upset to qualify for the LAN tournament at Simpson College. The team is focused on improving before the playoffs and is determined to make a push for success.
Up Next
The Illinois College Valorant will be back in MEC action before the MVEC playoffs begin with a match on Thursday, February 20th against Ohio State University beginning at 7:00pm.
