MADISON, Wis. - The RU volleyball team fell in straight sets on Friday evening to the Edgewood College Eagles (19-8, 10-0 NACC). Despite the Eagles undefeated record in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play, Rockford still played well for much of the evening.
The Regents got off to a good start in the first set. Rockford only briefly trailed in the opening moments as the Regents used an early 4-0 run to grab an 8-7 lead over Edgewood. However, the lead did not last long as the Eagles promptly went on a 9-2 run taking a 16-10 advantage. Edgewood would extend its lead slightly down the stretch winning the first set 25-16.
The second set was a bit of a struggle as the Regents were never quite able to find their rhythm. Rockford dug itself an early hole falling behind 14-6 in the opening moments. Unfortunately the ladies were unable to significantly cut into the deficit and dropped the second set 25-16.
The third set went significantly better for the Regents as they were within striking distance from start to finish. The two schools traded points and the lead in the opening moments until Edgewood used a 6-0 run to take a 13-7 lead. Rockford continued to fight and battle and went on a 6-1 run of its own midway through the set to pull back within three points at 17-14. The Edgewood lead held steady at three points until Rockford cut it to two at 23-21. However, the Eagles went on to score the final two points to win the set 25-21 and the match 3-0.
The Regents had three players record at least five kills on Friday night. Junior Katie Fowler (Stillman Valley, Ill.) tallied a team-high 9 kills for Rockford. Freshman Alex Storey (Dexter, Mich.) had a good all-around match with 6 kills, a team-high 9 digs and 1 service ace. Senior Marissa Plock (German Valley, Ill.) had 5 kills on just 6 attack attempts for an impressive .667 hitting percentage.
Junior setter Taylor Rossi (Ingleside, Ill.) also played well recording 21 assists, 8 digs, 2 kills and 1 service ace.
The RU volleyball team concludes its season on Saturday, October 24 at Concordia University Wisconsin. The match has a scheduled start time of 12:00 p.m.
