Griffins Comeback Effort Falls Short Against Illinois College

ST. LOUIS, Mo.— The Fontbonne University women's volleyball team competed well on Thursday night but fell in four sets (18-25, 20-25, 25-22, 21-25) against Illinois College.

The Griffins (2-7), who had double-digit kills in each set and had a positive hitting percentage throughout the evening, set a new season-high in a four-set match in kills (44), assists (41), service aces (five), and digs (67).

Individually, Maura Rabun was dominant with 12 kills and a match-high .476 hitting percentage. Victoria Curtice added eight kills, while Megan McKenzie bounced back with seven. Megan Schaller and Abby Grumich each tied with 17 assists each. Defensively, Schaller posted a season-high 15 digs.

Illinois College (10-3), totaled 61 kills and a .213 hitting percentage on the evening. Ali Pankey led everyone on the floor with a match-high 19 kills. Elizabeth Ganley and Emily Woods handed out 23 assists each, while Cheyanne Jockisch contributed a team-high 16 digs.

In the first, it was a back-and-forth set early until the Lady Blues pulled away with a 13-7 lead. Fontbonne got to within 17-14 on Kristina Eason's kill, however that'd be as close as they'd get with IC going on for the 25-18 win.

In the second, the Griffins trailed 12-9 on a Lady Blues attack error. They stretched its advantage to 20-12 and despite Fontbonne cutting it down to 22-18 on a set error, the Lady Blues hung on for the 25-20 win.

Fontbonne totaled a team-high 12 kills in the second set. IC fared a bit better with its 15 kills and .351 hitting percentage.

Needing a win in the third, the Griffins went on a 3-0 run to take a 21-18 lead over IC. The Lady Blues battled back and tied the set up at 22-22, though Fontbonne answered right back with a 3-0 run of its own as a kill from Karsyn Kulick, a block assist from Rabun and Kulick, along with another block assist from Victoria Curtice and Rabun gave the Griffins the 25-22 win.

The two teams went point-for-point throughout the fourth as the Griffins were determined to force a fifth game. A kill from Curtice tied the set up at 20-20, but a quick 3-0 run by IC gave them some breathing room.

Fontbonne got a solo block from Rabun to make it 23-21, however, the Lady Blues closed out the set and the match on kills from Pankey and Maddie Ramsey.

The Griffins return to the court this weekend at the MacMurray Quad. The team takes on host MacMurray at 11 a.m., on Saturday followed by a 1 p.m., outing against Eureka.

Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates and recaps on the women's volleyball team.

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