DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Loras College women's volleyball team made a dominant return to Lillis Court, defeating Carroll University, 3-1, and Knox College, 3-0, in a triangular match on Wednesday evening.
Loras 3, Carroll 1
Carroll (4-2) controlled the opening set of the match. The Duhawks were unable to respond to a 13-1 run made by the Pioneers, which allowed the visitors to take a commanding 17-6 lead in the middle of the set. Loras (3-1) rattled off four consecutive points to close out the set, but could not overcome the deficit, ultimately falling 25-17.
The Purple and Gold bounced back in the second set, not allowing the Pioneers to lead by more than three points. The Duhawks trailed 19-16 late in the set but posted a 5-0 run to take a two-point lead that they would hang onto and extend to take set two by a score of 25-21.
Loras dominated set three from the first serve, stringing together an eight-point run early on to take a 9-2 lead. The Duhawks led by as many as eight, but the Pioneers worked their way back to trail by just one (22-21) late in the set. A pair of kills by
Sophie Younkin and one from
Kyra Kuehn sealed the 25-22 set three win for the Purple and Gold.
Carroll held a brief advantage over Loras (3-2), but would not keep it as the Duhawks went on an 11-2 run, giving them a sizable lead midway through the set. The Purple and Gold continued to benefit from Pioneer errors, while also finding an offensive rhythm, which would lead them to a decisive 25-12 victory in set four.
Loras led a balanced attack with Younkin (11),
Autumn Finch (10) and Kuehn (10) each putting down double-digit kills.
Lucie Lambe totaled 18 digs in the match, while
Sara Hoskins dished out 38 assists to go along with four service aces, 16 digs and four blocks. As a team, the Duhawks hit .176, which featured 48 kills and 23 errors in 142 attempts.
Loras 3, Knox 0
Loras (4-1) secured its second sweep of the season against Knox (0-5) by scores of 25-16, 25-14 and 25-19.
Jenna Gianoli led the Duhawks offense with nine kills, while Finch and
Patrycja Jarzabek followed closely behind with eight and seven kills of their own respectively. Hoskins and
Emily Mohr handed out a combined 31 assists in the match as well. Loras hit .359 as a team, finishing with 44 kills and 11 errors in 92 attempts.
Up Next: The Duhawks travel Bloomington, Ill. to compete in the Illinois Wesleyan Classic on Sept. 6 and 7. They will open up the tournament on Friday against Webster University at 6 p.m.
