PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College volleyball team started off the weekend the right way with victories over visiting Lincoln College and College of DuPage at the Harper College Tri-Match.

Harper vs. Lincoln College

In the 2 PM match on Friday afternoon, the Hawks (4-2) defeated Lincoln College in straight sets (25-21, 25-15, 25-16).

Harper started out strong with a 7-1 lead, but Lincoln came back to tie it at 17-17. However, the Hawks finished the set strong on the way to a 25-21 win. Shannon Igielski (Streamwood, Ill/St. Edward) led Harper with four kills. Katelyn Sommers (/Buffalo Grove) played a strong set with 12 assists, four digs, and a perfect 8-of-8 serving.

Kayla Mayer (/Wauconda)'s serves gave the Hawks an early 4-0 lead in the second set, and they eventually extended that lead to 19-10 before winning 25-15 over the Lynx. Mayer finished the set 9-of-9 serving with three aces, and middle hitters Sarah Berggren (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) and Daniele Sortino (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Elk Grove) added four kills apiece. Libero Meghan Chartier (Inverness, Ill./Buffalo Grove) led the defensive effort with seven digs.

Sortino and Berggren played a very strong third set to help Harper to a victory. Sortino was 9-of-9 hitting with eight kills, and Berggren was 5-of-5 with five kills.

"Harper played very well in this match. Lincoln has a lot of talent, including some very hard hitters," said Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet. "They will improve greatly as the season moves along. I'm glad we played them early this season."

In the match, Sortino led the team with 14 kills and also had three blocks. Sommers set up the offense nicely with 36 assists and also was a perfect 16-of-16 serving with two aces. Chartier paced the Harper defense with 15 digs.

Harper vs. College of DuPage

The Hawks took on the Chaparrals in a nonconference match and defeated their opponents in straight sets, 25-10, 25-15, 25-16.

Harper used a balanced attack in the first set as Adriana Loiacono (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin), Igielski, Sortino, and Bergggren put down three kills apiece. Sommers handed out 12 assists, and Jillian Hoffman (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) led Harper's serving attack, going 8-of-9 with two aces. Hoffman also served a strong game, going 8-of-9 with two aces.

The Hawks played a strong second game as well, and Berggren was a big part of that. The sophomore had four kills on eight attacks plus five rejections (three blocks). Jada Sharp (/Schaumburg Christian) also added four kills, and Chartier played solid defense with 11 digs.

Harper played well in the third set on the way to victory. Loiacono had a breakout game with six kills on 13 attacks, and Hannah Moore (/Schaumburg) added four digs.

"I do feel we are playing in midseason form already this already. We played very well again today," Vilsoet said.

Loiacono paced the offensive attack with 10 kills in the match. Hoffman finished the match 18-of-20 serving with three aces, and Chartier led the defense with 18 digs. Sommers eclipsed the 30-assist plateau again with 33 assists against DuPage.

Up Next

It's a big week for the Hawks as they open North Central Community College Conference (N4C) play on Tuesday night against No. 1 Madison College (3-3) at 6 PM inside the Wellness & Sports Center. Harper travels to McHenry County College on Thursday evening and will play against Illinois Valley Community College and Millikin University JV on Saturday at the Illinois Valley Tri-Match.