RIVER FOREST, Ill. - The Rockford University women's volleyball team continued to show signs of improvement on Tuesday as the ladies hit the road to take on the defending NACC Tournament Champion Dominican University Stars. Rockford steadily improved in each set of the match as the Regents pushed the Stars to the limit in the final set. However, the Regents were never quite able to get over the hump as they fell in straight sets 25-15, 25-16 and 25-19.
The opening set of the match got off to a rough start as Rockford quickly fell behind 8-2. However following a timeout, the Regents were able to rally scoring 6 straight points, 5 of which came off the serve of Kayla Barthels (Fort Worth, Tex.), to tie the match at 8-8. Unfortunately the Stars answered right back with a 7-0 run of their own en route to taking the first set 25-15.
The second set got off to a similar start as the Regents again dug themselves into an early hole. This time though, Rockford responded with a 7-2 run to take its first lead of the match at 7-6. Sophomore Alex Storey (Dexter, Mich.) led the charge with two of the Regents five kills during that stretch. Unfortunately just like in the first set, Dominican responded with a 13-2 run to win the set 25-16 and take a commanding 2-0 lead.
The third set was competitive the entire way, as the Stars did not lead by more than five until the final point of the set. Following another slow start, the Regents stormed back and pulled within a single point at 10-9 off a kill from Amanda Korte (Davis, Ill.). The match continued to go back and forth as the Regents stayed within striking distance for the remainder of the set. Unfortunately the Stars once again closed strong with a 6-2 run to win the set 25-19 and the match 3-0.
Despite the loss, Rockford had some stellar individual performances on the court. Senior Taylor Rossi (Ingleside, Ill.) led the way with perhaps her best overall match of the year. Rossi had 6 kills on just 11 attempts for an impressive .364 hitting percentage. She also added 6 digs, 2 assists and 2 block assists to her totals. Freshman Kayla Barthels and junior Madison Lanquist (Rockford, Ill.) both also played well. Barthels tallied a team-high 14 assists along with 1 kill and 1 service ace. Lanquist led Rockford's defensive effort with a team and season-high 11 digs.
The RU women's volleyball team returns to the court on Thursday, September 15 at Alverno College. The match has a scheduled start time of 7:00 PM.
