ROCHESTER, Minn. – The Harper College volleyball team won three of its four matches at the Rochester Community and Technical College Volleyball Invitational, including a thrilling five-set victory over Bismarck State College  to close out the weekend.

Harper vs. Central Lakes College

In their first match of the weekend, the Hawks (9-3) lost in four sets to Central Lakes (25-18, 21-25, 23-25, 24-26). Daniele Sortino (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Elk Grove) led the Harper attack with 10 kills on 22-of-23 hitting while setter Lindsey Murphy (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake South) tallied 28 assists to go with 22 digs.

Defensively, Meghan Chartier (Inverness, Ill./Buffalo Grove) was one of six Hawks in double figures in digs, leading the way with 30 digs. She also was strong in the service game, going 22-of-24 with two aces. Sarah Berggren (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) was also a presence on the defensive end with four blocks.

Harper vs. Hibbing Community College

In Friday's nightcap, Harper played a solid match, earning a straight-set victory over Hibbing (25-17, 25-15, 25-20). The Hawks won the first two sets by leading most of the way, but the third set was a different story. Harper fell behind 18-11 but mounted a comeback to tie the match at 20-20 before winning the final five points to win the match.

Adriana Loiacono (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) led the way with seven kills. Mia Harper (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows) paced the Hawks defensively with 13 digs while Hoffman (11 digs, 15 assists) notched her first double-double.

Harper vs. Northern Iowa Area Community College

On Saturday morning, the Hawks topped Northern Iowa Area Community College in four sets (25-17, 13-25, 25-14, 25-17). After a tough second set loss, Harper took a 9-0 lead in the third set on  Murphy's strong serving. The team pushed the lead to 18-6 and won in convincing fashion. The Hawks carried over the strong play into the fourth set, leading most of the way en route to victory.

Alyssia Dugo (Algonquin, Ill. /Jacobs) led the way for Harper with 11 kills, including five in the final set. She also recorded a double-double by adding 10 digs. Chartier once again starred on the defensive end with 19 digs, and Murphy recorded a double-double with 11 digs and 17 assists.

Harper vs. Bismarck State College

Harper's final match of the invite proved to be the most dramatic, as the Hawks as came down to the final points in the fifth set. Ultimately, Harper prevailed 20-25, 25-16, 25-23, 20-25, 15-13.

After dropping a close first set, Harper played well in the second set to tie the match up. In a back-and-forth third set, the Hawks narrowly pulled out a win. Bismarck State rebounded to take the fourth set, setting up a decisive fifth set.

The Hawks took a commanding 7-2 lead, but the Mystics fought hard to tie the game at 8-8. Tied at 13-13, Harper's Shannon Igeielski muscled a shot through a block to make it 14-13, and Harper won the next point to take the match.

"This match made the price of admission," said Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet.

Four Hawks – Murphy (10 digs, 20 assists), Hoffman (16 digs, 20 assists), Dugo (11 kills, 23 digs), and Lauren Sokolowski (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows) (14 kills, 34 digs) – recorded impressive double-doubles. The Hawks totaled 143 digs in the match.

Thoughts from Head Coach Bob Vilsoet

"We are improving with every match, which is the plan. This is why we play such a challenging schedule every year. This was a very fun volleyball vacation, and we played some strong volleyball this weekend," he said. "The players are learning how to compete at this level very quickly. I am very impressed and pleased with the improvement so far this year. I am very proud to be a part of this team and these players."

Up Next

The Hawks host Milwaukee Area Technical College on Tuesday at 6 PM before traveling to Madison on Thursday to take on the No. 1 WolfPack beginning at 6 PM.