GALESBURG, Ill. -- The Rockford University women's volleyball team defeated both Knox College and Principia College at the Knox Triangular on Saturday afternoon, winning six of the seven total sets played.
Rockford defeated host Knox College, 3-1 (19-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-16), before sweeping Principia College, 3-0 (25-5, 25-9, 25-20).
The Regents dropped the first set to Knox, which was the only set Rockford lost all day. Rockford took a 1-0 lead following an attack error by Knox, but that was the only lead the Regents held in the set as Knox went on a 6-0 run late in the set to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
Rockford responded with a wire-to-wire win in the second set, going on an 8-1 run to gain separation early and take a 13-6 lead. The Prairie Fire responded with a 7-2 run to pull within two, trailing 15-13, but the Regents never surrendered the lead as key kills from
Lilly Dewey,
Kennedy Bryant,
Jalyn Rhodes and
Ashley Mersch helped fend off a Knox comeback and even the match.
The momentum carried over into the third set for the Regents before a 7-0 run put Knox ahead 9-5. Both teams went back and forth until a 5-0 run by the Regents gave Rockford a 20-17 lead after trailing 17-15.
Brooklyn Rylko, Bryant and Dewey recorded kills during the run as the Regents carried the momentum forward to finish the set.
After a competitive start to the fourth set, the Regents gained separation in the middle of the set with three kills from Rylko and one from Bryant during a 5-0 run that gave Rockford a 16-10 lead after leading 11-10. Knox kept the set close until Rockford went on a 5-0 run late in the set, highlighted by four Knox errors and a kill from Bryant, to secure the match victory.
For the match, Rockford hit .168, recording 48 kills, 24 errors and 143 attempts. Rhodes led the Regents with 12 kills, while
Milee Law led Rockford with 19 assists.
Isabella Valdes recorded a double-double with 17 assists and 13 digs, while Law led the team with four aces.
Dewey tallied 15 digs, while Rylko recorded four blocks.
Against Principia, the Regents went on an 11-0 run after a Principia error and dominated the remainder of the first set. Rockford totaled 15 kills as the Regents cruised to a first-set victory.
The dominance continued in the second set as kills from Bryant and
Jasiah Johnson helped Rockford take a 2-0 lead as part of a 7-0 run in the opening stretch. The Regents recorded 10 kills in the set to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Principia fought hard in the final set, but Rockford got off to a fast start, taking a 6-1 lead. The Panthers answered with a 6-1 run of their own to tie the set at seven. Rockford followed with a 4-0 run before adding another 6-1 run to gain separation. Principia kept it close as the Panthers trimmed their deficit to two, trailing 20-18, but a 5-0 run by the Regents followed by a kill from Rylko completed the sweep.
The Regents hit .333 against Principia with 32 kills, 11 errors and 63 attempts. Dewey led the team with nine kills, while Valdes recorded eight assists.
Leila Cooks led the Regents with three aces.
Cooks also had a team-high nine digs, while
Emmerson Heun and Mersch each recorded a block.
The Regents will return to action on Thursday, Oct. 1, when they travel to Aurora, Ill., for a triangular against Aurora University and Lake Forest College. Rockford will face Aurora in a NACC match at 3 p.m., followed by Lake Forest at 5 p.m.
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