PALATINE, Ill. – In a battle of top-10 teams, the fourth-ranked Harper College volleyball team came up just short against No. 10 Rock Valley on Thursday, losing in an exciting five-set match, 25-17, 16-25, 25-15, 20-25, 12-15.

The Hawks (28-9, 7-3 N4C) started the match great with a 9-0 lead in the first set behind some strong serving by Lindsey Murphy (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake South). The Golden Eagles (19-12, 8-2 N4C) eventually tied it at 14-14, but Alyssia Dugo (Algonquin, Ill. /Jacobs)'s kill started a 7-0 run for Harper on their way to victory. Daniele Sortino (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Elk Grove) played a strong set with three kills and three blocks, and Murphy was an outstanding 16-of-16 serving with two aces while dishing out seven assists.

Harper started the second set strong with a 4-1 lead, but Rock Valley rallied and took a 9-6 lead that they continued to build upon on the way to victory. Sortino once again played a strong set with four kills, and Murphy continued her strong serving (6-of-7, two aces).

The Hawks jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the third set  and extended the lead to 18-10 before winning 25-15. Sortino continued her strong play with five kills, while right-side hitter Adriana Loiacono (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) and middle hitter Kim Butler (Palatine, Ill/Palatine) put down four kills and three kills, respectively.

The fourth set was very close the whole way, with ties at 4-4, 5-5, 6-6 and 9-9 before Rock Valley took the lead for good. The Hawks closed to within two points at 22-20 on a Jillian Hoffman (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) ace, but the Golden Eagles scored the game's final three points to force a fifth set. Outside hitter Lauren Sokolowski (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows) paced the attack with three kills in the set, and Dugo was 7-of-7 serving with five digs.

The stage was set for a fifth and deciding set. Tied at 4-4, Rock Valley surged ahead with five straight points. Facing match point trailing 14-9, the Hawks scored three points to close the gap but the Golden Eagles won the next point for the match. In the final set, Meghan Chartier (Inverness, Ill./Buffalo Grove) tallied three digs for a match-high 20 digs.

"We are still learning, and we are still improving," said Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet. "There was quite a crowd at Harper this evening supporting the team, which was nice to see."

Hawk Highlights:

-Daniele Sortino (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Elk Grove) 32-of-33 hitting with 17 kills

-Lindsey Murphy (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake South) 34-of-35 serving, five aces, 16 digs, 33 assists (double-double)

-Lauren Sokolowski (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows) 12 kills, 17 digs (double-double)

-Meghan Chartier (Inverness, Ill./Buffalo Grove) 20 digs

The Hawks travel to Rockford this weekend for the Rock Valley Invitational. For their full schedule of matches/results, click here.