MADISON, Wis. – Facing the top team in the country on Thursday night, the No. 9 Harper College volleyball team came up short, losing in three sets to No. 1 Madison College (16-25, 21-25, 16-25).

In the first set, the Hawks (10-4, 3-1 N4C) got behind quickly and could never catch up. Reigning NJCAA Player of the Week Lauren Sokolowski (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows) started out strong with four kills and three digs, and libero Meghan Chartier (Inverness, Ill./Buffalo Grove) led the defense with seven digs.

Madison (11-1, 3-0 N4C) went ahead early in the second set, but Harper stormed back to take a 19-16 lead. The WolfPack closed the game on a 9-2 run to take a 2-0 lead. Daniele Sortino (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Elk Grove) was 5-of-5 hitting with four kills for Harper, and Jillian Hoffman (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) had six assists in the set.

The WolfPack took a commanding 18-11 lead in the third set on their way to a comfortable victory. Chartier added five more digs for a team-high 17 digs in the match.

Sokolowski and Sortino finished the match with six kills apiece while setter Lindsey Murphy (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake South) notched a team-high 13 assists.

Harper looks to bounce back this weekend at the Illinois Valley Tri-Match as they play Elgin Community College and Illinois Valley Community College.