JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - On Friday the Rockford University volleyball team began its third straight weekend away from home at a multi-day tournament. The Regents opened their slate of matches at the Illinois College Tournament against Culver-Stockton and wrapped up the day against host Illinois College.
Rockford's opening match against came against a talented Culver-Stockton squad. The Regents played well for much of the match but ultimately came up short falling in straight sets 25-14, 25-21, 25-6.
The Regents' match against Illinois College came down to the wire as Rockford played in its second 5-set match this week. Rockford opened the match on fire and jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on the Lady Blues. In the opening set the Regents and Lady Blues battled back-and-forth the entire way with Rockford scoring the final 6 points of the set off of the serve of senior Erin Pederson (Oregon, Ill./Oregon) to earn a 26-24 win. The Regents then used that momentum in the second set to deliver a convincing 25-17 win. However, the Lady Blues took the third and fourth sets to force a fifth and deciding set. Things started off well for the Regents in the final set as Rockford grabbed an early 7-3 advantage. Rockford would eventually push its lead to 11-7 before Illinois College fought back and took the final set 15-12 to win the match.
Senior Katelyn Hasken (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) and freshman Ashley Simmons (Naperville, Ill./North) led the way offensively for Rockford. Hasken tied for a match-high with 13 kills while also tallying 24 digs. Simmons recorded 11 kills, a match-high 29 digs, 2 aces and 2 block assists.
Freshman Peyton Achs (Erie, Ill./Eastland) played one of her best all-around matches so far this season. Archs tallied a season-high 8 kills on just 19 attempts with only one error for a .368 kill percentage. The freshman also added 4 block assists and one dig to round out her stat line.
Setter Taylor Rossi (Ingleside, Ill./Grant Community) recorded double-figures in multiple categories for the fifth time this season. Rossi led the Regents with 38 assists while recording 15 digs.
The Regents have two more matches at the Illinois College Tournament on Saturday. Rockford opens at 10 AM against Central College and wraps up its day at 2 PM against Monmouth.
