BELOIT, Wis. -- The Rockford University women's volleyball team fell in both matches at the Beloit Triangular on Friday.
The Regents lost to North Park University in the first match, 3-1 (25-12, 22-25, 26-24, 25-12), before falling to host Beloit College, 3-2 (16-25, 26-24, 25-22, 25-27, 15-12).
In the first match against North Park,
Emmerson Heun gave Rockford a 1-0 lead with the first kill of the match. The Vikings responded with an 8-2 run to take an 8-3 lead. Both teams went back and forth until North Park went on a 7-1 run, as the Regents were unable to regain the momentum in the first set.
Rockford got off to a strong start in the second set, opening with a 7-0 run as North Park committed six errors during the stretch, with the lone kill coming from
Sofia Souza. The Regents continued to build their lead, going up 19-8 as the Vikings committed eight more errors during the 12-point stretch for Rockford, which also featured kills from Heun,
Kennedy Bryant and two from
Jalyn Rhodes. North Park responded with a 12-3 run to cut its deficit to two at 22-20, but the Regents held on to take the second set.
Bryant gave the Regents a 1-0 lead with a kill as Rockford built a 9-6 advantage to begin the third set. The set remained competitive, with neither team holding more than a three-point lead. North Park closed the set with a 5-0 run after trailing 24-21 to take the third set, 26-24.
North Park carried the momentum into the fourth set, opening with an 11-2 run and never relinquishing the lead as the Vikings closed out the match with a 25-12 victory.
The Regents hit .115 for the match with 34 kills, 19 errors and 131 attempts. Rhodes led Rockford with 10 kills, while
Isabella Valdes recorded 14 assists.
Jayce Shaw recorded three aces.
Leila Cooks led the Regents with 18 digs, while Rhodes recorded a team-high two blocks.
In the second match against Beloit, the Regents took an early 12-7 lead after going on a 5-0 run with the set tied at seven as the Buccaneers committed five straight errors. Beloit responded with a 5-1 run before Rockford answered with a 6-0 run to take control of the set and a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set featured several runs from both teams. Beloit held the lead for much of the set before a kill from Heun gave Rockford a 22-21 advantage. Beloit responded late in the set to take the second set and tie the match at one.
Rockford took a 5-2 lead early in the third set before Beloit went on a 5-0 run to take a 7-5 advantage. The teams continued to battle throughout the set, which featured six lead changes. Beloit regained the lead late with a 4-0 run to take a 21-18 advantage after trailing 18-17 and held on to take the set.
The fourth set also featured six lead changes. Beloit went on a 4-0 run late to take a 25-24 lead before the Regents responded with a 3-0 run, including two kills from Heun, to take the set and force a fifth set.
Beloit pulled away late in the fifth set, scoring the final four points of the match to secure the victory. The Buccaneers recorded three kills during the final stretch.
As a team, the Regents hit .126 in the five-set match with 54 kills, 19 errors and 208 attempts. Heun and Shaw led Rockford with 10 kills each. Valdes recorded 21 assists, one shy of her season high, while Rhodes added four aces.
Cooks again led the team with 17 digs to reach a double-double, while Valdes added 12 to also tally a double-double, and Rhodes and Heun each recorded three blocks.
The Regents will return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at the Seaver Center as they open NACC play against Concordia University Chicago at 7 p.m.
