KANKAKEE, Ill. – The fourth-ranked Harper volleyball team finished its 2014 regular season schedule strong, emerging victorious in matches against Kankakee Community College and Elgin Community College at the Kankakee Trimatch on Saturday.

Harper vs. No. 20 Kankakee Community College

The Hawks (32-13) earned a four-set victory (25-16, 25-17, 23-25, 25-23) over the Cavaliers (30-14), who came in ranked #20 in the NJCAA Div. II poll.

"This match felt good to win," said Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet. "Kankakee is a very good team this year and has a strong chance to go to nationals and represent our region for Division 2."

In the first set, Harper took a 9-5 lead and extended it to 19-11. Kankakee closed to within three at 19-15, but Harper finished strong with the last six points of the set. The Hawks were led on offense by Sarah Berggren (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) and Daniele Sortino (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Elk Grove) with three kills each. Libero Meghan Chartier (Inverness, Ill./Buffalo Grove) tallied 10 digs while setter Lindsey Murphy (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake South) had four assists, four digs and was 6-of-6 serving with two aces.

The second set started out close with several ties early before the Hawks took a 14-11 lead. The Hawks used an 8-1 run to take a 21-12 lead and finished with a 25-17 victory. On offense, Adriana Loiacono (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) and Lauren Sokolowski (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows) each had three kills, and Murphy and Jillian Hoffman (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) each dished out five assists.

The third set was tight throughout. Tied at 23-23, the Cavaliers strung together two points to win 25-23 and cut the match deficit to 2-1.

In the fourth set, Harper appeared to be on the way to a comfortable win with a 22-16 lead, but Kankakee battled all the way back to tie the score at 23-23. This time Harper scored the last two points to win the match and avoid a fifth set.

Match highlights:

-Lauren Sokolowski (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows) 12 kills 29 digs

-Lindsey Murphy (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake South) 10 digs, 22 assists, 17-of-18 serving, two aces

-Jillian Hoffman (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) 13 digs, 17 assists

-Kim Butler (Palatine, Ill/Palatine) 8 kills, 7.5 blocks

-Meghan Chartier (Inverness, Ill./Buffalo Grove) 35 digs, 13-of-13 serving, three aces

"We won this match because of the nice coach bus we rode in today," Sokolowski said.

Harper vs. Elgin Community College

Harper picked up a four-set victory over Elgin (7-23) to close out the regular season (25-21, 24-26, 25-16, 25-12).

The Hawks won a close first set over the Spartans behind a strong and efficient hitting attack. Loiacono was 6-of-6 with four kills, Shannon Igielski (Streamwood, Ill/St. Edward) 9-of-9 with five kills, and Kim Butler (Palatine, Ill/Palatine) 6-of-6 with three kills. Hoffman handed out eight assists, and Chartier had seven digs.

The Spartans held a 22-19 lead in the second set, but Harper tied it at 23-23 and 24-24 before Elgin took the final two points for the win. Sortino led Harper with five kills in the set.

The Hawks won the third set behind the strong play of Sarah Bregenzer (Wauconda, Ill./Mundelein) and Alyssia Dugo (Algonquin, Ill. /Jacobs). Bregenzer went 3-of-3 hitting with three kills, and Dugo was 7-of-8 with four kills.

Tied in the early going, Harper pulled away and took a 19-9 lead in the fourth set before winning 25-12.

Match highlights:

-Daniele Sortino (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Elk Grove) nine kills, 13-of-14 serving, three aces

-Jillian Hoffman (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) 10 digs, 22 assists

-Meghan Chartier (Inverness, Ill./Buffalo Grove) 23 digs

-Kim Butler (Palatine, Ill/Palatine) nine kills, four blocks

Thoughts from Head Coach Bob Vilsoet

"We had a great regular season. I feel like we are ready for the playoffs," Vilsoet said. "Next week we will see. There will be some very good volleyball in our regional playoffs with Madison ranked #2, us ranked #4, and Rock Valley ranked #6."

Up Next

The Hawks will now gear up for the 2014 NJCAA Region IV Tournament. Harper is the #3 seed and will receive a first round bye before playing #2 seed Rock Valley College at noon in the Region IV Semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 12 PM, hosted by Joliet Junior College.

On the other end of the bracket, #1 seed Madison College awaits the winner of #4 Joliet Junior College and #5 Milwaukee Area Technical College to be played on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 10 AM.

For a full playoff bracket, click here.

The championship match will be played at 2 PM that day, with the winner moving on to the NJCAA Division III National Championship in Rochester, Minnesota. The national tournament is played on Nov. 14 and 15.