Box Score 1 |
Box Score 3 MONMOUTH, ILL. -- The volleyball team traveled north to compete in the Monmouth Invitational for their season opener. Overall the team swept Rockford College in three games, lost to a tough Monmouth squad, and beat Iowa Wesleyan to grab third place in the tourney.
Principia started the trip off one player short, and started the tourney needing to put a completely untried lineup on the court, and the team responded well. They communicated well and figured things out to take Rockford in three straight games. Prin was looking to “keep the ball flying” and hit our kaboom ball at the right time, minimizing errors and being patient.
Christine Nacewicz and
Sarah Howard did just that. They hit .220 and .333 respectively, and with hardly any errors.
After a 20 minute break, Principia took the court against host Monmouth. Principia sprinted out of the blocks gaining a big lead over Monmouth, but the women could not maintain the spread. Monmouth really dug their heels in and out-toughed Principia to the finish line. As a team Principia still struggled with keeping their errors in check, however
Christine Nacewicz and
Sierra Sprague led the way – putting 100% of their hits in the court and hitting .286 and .250.
Twenty minutes after that match, Principia took on Iowa Wesleyan to fight for 3
rd place in the tournament. Whew! Six hours of competition in a row – welcome to the season ladies!! This match showed Principia's grit and determination. Whatever rhythm was lacking in the first two matches became more brilliant as the match went on. The offense was well rounded with all hitters contributing nice numbers to the effort.
Sierra Sprague hit .667,
Christine Nacewicz .500, and
Sarah Howard .357 led the way with zero errors and fine termination.
Overall, Principia suffered a bit from the service line averaging 15% error each match. Too many errors, however five aces from setter
Savanna Sprague, four from
Tess Rountree, and three from
Summer Switzer proved that this team is determined to be bold this season. Kudos to outside hitters
Kiersten Andersen and
Tess Rountree for swinging at so many balls. They combined for 161 attacks!
The team is committed to playing the game with grit and grace, and welcomes you to Hay Fieldhouse for the home opener against NCAA Division II Maryville University Tuesday September 4th at 7pm!
