PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College volleyball team played strong competition over the weekend at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Volleyball Invitational on Saturday afternoon. The Hawks posted a 1-2 record and are now 18-7 on the season.

Harper vs. Elmhurst College JV

Despite a straight-set loss to the NCAA Div. III BlueJays (20-25, 23-25, 22-25), Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet walked away from the match encouraged by his team's performance.

"That was a strong and consistent group of players we played against," Vilsoet said. "We played well but just lost by a little bit. Hopefully, we gained a little experience on what works when competing against a good team."

Middle hitters Daniele Sortino (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Elk Grove) and Adriana Loiacono (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) paced the offense with eight kills and six kills, respectively. On the defensive end, Sortino added three blocks, and fellow middle hitter Sarah Bergreen tallied 2.5 blocks. Lindsey Murphy (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake South) posted her seventh double-double in the last nine matches with 10 digs and 14 assists while also going 16-of-17 serving with two aces. 

Harper vs. Joliet Junior College

Facing off against N4C rival Joliet in a non-conference match, the Hawks won in three sets (25-19, 25-21, 25-15). Berggren and Lauren Sokolowski (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows) each put down six kills for a well-balanced Hawks' attack that featured 13 assists from Jillian Hoffman (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey).

Harper vs. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater JV

Harper faced host Wisconsin-Whitewater, another strong NCAA Div. III program, to close out the day. The Hawks fell in four sets to the Warhawks (18-25, 19-25, 25-22, 20-25).

Sortino blasted nine kills to lead the offense, and Alyssia Dugo (Algonquin, Ill. /Jacobs) added seven. Chartier once again led the defense with 17 digs, Murphy notched 17 assists and Hoffman posted a double-double with 14 digs and 13 assists.

"This was a good group of players we played against. We played well, too, even though we only won one of the sets," Vilsoet said.

Up Next

Harper (18-7, 4-2 N4C) meets Joliet (8-13, 3-4 N4C) for the second time in four days this upcoming Tuesday at 6 PM in Joliet.