PALATINE, Ill. – The #4 Harper College volleyball team won their 15^th consecutive match with a 3-1 (25-16, 25-22, 24-26, 25-15) over the College of DuPage on Tuesday night.  The win equals the longest winning streak of Bob Vilsoet's 11 years at Harper.
 
Harper (17-1, 5-0 N4C) got off to a great start in the first set as Rebekah Hischke (Algonquin, Ill., Dundee Crown) tallied seven of her 11 kills and Clara Moravec (Lake in the Hills, Ill., Jacobs) had five of her team-high 13 kills.  Tied at 4-4 and against at 8-8, the Hawks leapt ahead 13-8 behind some strong serving from Megan Kollmeyer (Tustin, Mich., Pine River).  After taking a 20-14 lead, Kelly Spychala (Des Plaines, Ill., Elk Grove) served three more points to help the team to victory.
 
The second set was more competitive but the Hawks pulled it out.  Veronica Dabrowski (Des Plaines, Ill., Rolling Meadows) put down four kills and had nine digs in the set.  Down 5-1 early on, Harper rallied to pull even at 5-5 with Hischke serving well.  The Hawks got behind again at 10-8 but took the lead at 16-14 and never let the lead get below two points.
 
Harper was uncharacteristically sloppy in the third set with ten hitting errors and three missed serves.  Madison Rodriguez (Palatine, Ill., Palatine) and Sarah House (Crystal Lake, Ill., Crystal Lake South) combined for 15 digs but it wasn't enough for the team to win the set.  Trailing 20-15, House served the Hawks back into the match to tie it at 20-20.  Harper and DuPage were tied again at 24-24 but the Chaparrals won the final two points to take the set.
 
Dabrowski played the fourth set and helped the Hawks get back on track.  She had seven booming kills to give her a double-double with 11 kills and 15 digs.  Kollmeyer also tallied seven of her team-high 18 digs in a back-and-forth final set in which there were five ties between points five through 11.  The Hawks eventually got ahead 15-12 and won easily.
 
Moravec added 2.5 blocks while House and Alyse Kolner (Crystal Lake, Ill., Marion Central) also reached double figures in kills.  Kelly Sommers (Arlington Heights, Ill., Buffalo Grove) had 37 assists directing the offense.
 
“I hope tonight doesn't become a trend,” Vilsoet said.  “Everyone on the team has played well all season – on every point and during every set.  For some reason there was a bit of a letup tonight.  Fortunately, we still won, and the margin of victory isn't important, at least for the standings, but I hope we execute better next time out.  I guess we'll find out how we bounce back.”
 
Up next is the much-anticipated match with visiting Rock Valley College, who is currently ranked second in the NJCAA Div. III poll.  The Golden Eagles eliminated the Hawks from the Region IV Tournament last season.  The match is slated to begin at 6:00 PM.