ROCKFORD, Ill. -- The Rockford University women's volleyball team beat the Knox College Prairie Fire on Tuesday evening, 3-2.
Freshman outside
Lilly Dewey was fantastic, leading all players in kills, aces, and digs, with 14, seven, and 23.
Jalyn Rhodes finished with 12 kills and
Ashley Mersch hammered 11, both crossing the double-digit threshold.
Milee Law led the way with assists, totaling 30 for the match.
Isabella Valdes chipped in with 15.
Senior libero
Leila Cooks played her way to 17 digs, while Law and Valdes each had 10.
This match had more ebs and flows than the Mississippi. After trailing for most of the first set, RU clawed its way back to a 23 all tie with a 5-0 run. It wasn't enough, as the Prairie Fire stole the first frame, 27-25.
The Regents engineered the proper response. They earned a firm victory in set #2, winning 25-18.
The third set was very similar. After falling down 3-0, Rockford reeled off the next eight points to take the wheel and never relinquished it, taking the lead in the match with a 25-17 win.
It looked as if the Regents were going to march their way to a four set victory when they leaped out to a 7-0 lead in set #4. Knox wouldn't go away, taking an 11-10 lead before falling behind again. A valiant comeback tied the match, with the Prairie Fire scoring the last seven points to win 25-23 and even things up at two apiece.
The final set wasn't short on suspense. RU took the lead early, but Knox fought back to tie it up at nine. The Regents would take another lead, then the Prairie Fire roared back to make it 13 all. Finally, a kill by
Jayce Shaw and a Knox error gave the Regents the final set by two and the match, 3-2.
The Regents will return to action on Thursday, Oct. 15, when they face Concordia Wisconsin on the road at 7 p.m.
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