ASHLAND, Wis. - The Rockford University volleyball team (2-7) played its final two matches at the Northland College Tournament on Saturday. The Regents lost their first match of the day 3-0 to NACC foe Concordia University Chicago (3-4), before defeating Silver Lake College (2-4) in convincing fashion. The Regents dominated the Lakers in nearly every conceivable way. Rockford smashed a season-high 38 kills, hit a season-high 15 service aces and tallied a season-high 77 digs. The Regents' solid all-around play led to an exciting four-set victory (25-19, 18-25, 25-15, 25-21) over the Lakers. With the win, Rockford is now 2-1 in its last three matches.
Silver Lake College (25-19, 18-25, 25-15, 25-21)
- Rockford got off to a hot start in the first set, jumping out to a 16-9 lead. That lead did not last long though as Silver Lake batted back to within a single point at 18-17.
- Fortunately Rockford was able to close the set strong, scoring seven of the final nine points to take a 1-0 lead. Freshman Della Crain (Lena, Ill.) led the charge during that stretch with a pair of kills.
- The second set was close early on, with the two schools trading points in the opening moments. With the match tied 12-12, Silver Lake seized control with a 9-3 spurt. Rockford was able to get back within four points, but the Lakers scored the final three points of the set knot the match at 1-1.
- The third set was all Regents as Rockford began to assert its dominance. The Regents never trailed in the third and closed the set on an 8-1 run to regain the lead at 2-1. Rockford took advantage of excellent serving with a trio of aces in the final eight points, two from Jennifer Quintas (Rockford, Ill.) and one from Paige Carpenter (Phoenix, Ariz.).
- The fourth set went back and forth as neither team led by more than five points. Fortunately, it was once again Rockford who closed the set strong, this time with a 6-3 run to win the set and the match. Senior Maddison Hiland (Bellevue, Iowa) smashed a pair of kills for Rockford's final two points of the match.
Concordia University Chicago (25-14, 25-9, 25-14)
- Rockford played very well in the opening moments of the first set. Rockford opened with a 4-1 lead, before the Cougars went on an 8-0 run to jump in front 9-4. Unfortunately Rockford was never able to close the gap, as the Cougars took a 1-0 lead.
- The second set followed a similar pattern as the Regents and Cougars battled back and forth to begin the set. Unfortunately it was once again the Cougars who used a 7-1 run to take control of the set at 12-5. CUC never looked back from that point forward, winning the second set and taking a 2-0 advantage.
- The third set was all Cougars, as Rockford only briefly led in the opening moments. Concordia Chicago then went on a 10-2 run to leap out to a 10-3 advantage en route to winning the match in straight sets.
Silver Lake College
- Emily Johannes (Eau Claire, Wis.) led the Regents with 9 kills, 15 digs and 3 service aces.
- Jordan Idak (Chicago, Ill.) tallied a season-high 9 kills on 26 attack attempts for a .308 hitting percentage.
- Jennifer Quintas finished with a team-high 21 digs and 3 service aces, while Paige Carpenter had 12 digs and 3 service aces.
- Della Crain recorded 7 kills, and Maddison Hiland had 6 kills and 9 digs.
- Casey Sheetz (Rockford, Ill.) led the Regents with 19 assists.
Concordia University Chicago
The RU volleyball team returns to action on Wednesday, September 12 at home against Wisconsin Lutheran College. The match has a scheduled start time of 7 PM in the Seaver Center.
