PALATINE, Ill. – The fourth-ranked Harper College volleyball team hosted the 11-team Harper College Invitational on Friday and Saturday. The Hawks (14-7) posted a 2-2 record against quality competition over the two days.

After losing its opening match on Friday to NJCAA Div. I Lake Land College on Friday, Harper bounced back with a victory over Oakton Community College. On Saturday morning, the Hawks lost to Div. I John A. Logan College before finishing the weekend on a positive note with a win over No. 6 (Div. III) Rochester Community & Technical College.

Harper vs. Lake Land College

Harper played well in the first match of the invite, but lost in three close sets to the Lakers, 23-25, 23-25, 22-25.

The Hawks played a very good game one and held a lead of 21-19. However, Lake Land rallied to tie the match at 23-23 and went on to win 25-23. Setter Katelyn Sommers (/Buffalo Grove) was 7-of-7 serving and had five digs and seven assists for Harper.

Despite the tough loss, the Hawks took a commanding game two lead at 14-8 and led 18-13. The Lakers rallied once again to tie the score at 20-20 and scored the final two points of the game for a 25-23 win and a 2-0 lead in the match. Debra Miller (/Marian Catholic) paced the offense with five kills in the set, and libero Meghan Chartier (Inverness, Ill./Buffalo Grove) covered the court with 10 more digs.

The third set was once again a tight and well-played set that Harper did not win in the end.  Middle hitters Daniele Sortino (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Elk Grove) and Sarah Berggren (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) both contributed three kills while Kayla Mayer (/Wauconda) played solid defense with a team-best five digs in the set.

Sommers tallied a double-double in the match with 15 digs and 30 assists and was also 14-of-14 serving with two aces. Berggren smashed a team-high nine kills in the match. Chartier led the Harper defense with 21 digs.

"We lost this match by a total of seven points. I felt like we did control our own destiny, which is encouraging as we continue to learn how to win," said Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet.

Harper vs. Oakton Community College

Friday's night match produced a three-set sweep for Harper over Oakton, 25-14, 25-17, 25-7. Despite a slow start in the first game, the Hawks pulled it together for a win and a 1-0 lead in the match. Sortino and Berggren each had three kills while Sommers guided the offense with 12 assists.

The Hawks and Raiders were tied at 14-14 in the second game before Harper pulled ahead for a victory. Adriana Loiacono (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) paced the attack with four kills on five attacks, and Jada Sharp (/Schaumburg Christian) added three more kills. Miller was 7-of-7 serving with three aces, and libero Hannah Moore (/Schaumburg) was 7-of-7 serving with two aces and collected an alert six digs.

In the third set, the Hawks maintained control throughout on the way to a 25-7 win. Berggren tallied another five kills to give her a team-high 11 in the match, and Moore played another solid set with six digs and was 10-of-11 from the serving line with three more aces.

Jillian Hoffman (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) led the way with 19 assists in the match, and Moore recorded 15 digs to go along with 23-of-24 serving with six aces.

Harper vs. John A. Logan College

Harper played the 10 AM match against a strong John A. Logan squad, and the Volunteers took the match in four sets over Harper, 25-20, 23-25, 25-19, 25-21.

"They are a very strong Div. I opponent. Although we lost, we had our opportunities," Vilsoet said.

Despite a strong defensive from the Hawks in the first set, they came up just short. Sommers, Moore, and Chartier each tallied five digs, and Mayer led the way with six.

Harper played better in the second set on the way to a 25-23 victory to tie the match at 1-1. The Volunteers used a big run in the middle of the third set to take a commanding 17-9 lead. The Hawks made a gallant comeback to cut the deficit to 21-19 but made some crucial hitting errors late in the match and lost 25-19. Sommers was versatile in the set with 12 assists and five digs.

The Hawks once again trailed big (15-5) in the fourth set before mounting another comeback. They brought the score all the way back to within one point at 20-19 but ran out of steam to lose 25-21 and lose the match, 3-1.

On defense, Chartier had 10 digs for a match-high 26 digs, and Mayer had 12 digs (24 in the match) and was 7-of-7 serving.

Berggren (12 kills) Loiacono (11 kills) and Sortino (10 kills) each reached double figures in kills against John A. Logan. Sortino and Berggren each contributed 2.5 blocks as well.

Sommers once again contributed an impressive double-double with 17 digs and 36 assists.

Harper vs. No. 6 (Div. III) Rochester Community & Technical College

The first time the Hawks and Yellow Jackets met, the Hawks earned a sweep at the 2015 Battle For The Dells Junior College Tournament.  This time, it took Harper four sets to prevail over sixth-ranked Rochester, 25-18, 25-20, 20-25, 25-19.

The Hawks led through most of the first set on the way to a 25-18 win. Sortino put down five consecutive kills during one stretch, and Sommers paced Harper with six digs and 11 assists.

Looking to take a 2-0 lead, the Hawks succeeded in doing that in the second set. Harper sped ahead to a 16-8 lead and maintained it for the win.

Rochester bounced back in the third set and held the lead for most of the way in winning 25-20. For Harper, Miller put down a team-best five kills on 14 swings, and Mayer had eight digs.

With both teams playing well in the fourth set, it was a back-and-forth battle with Harper finally pulling ahead with leads of 16-14, 19-15, and 21-17 on the way to a 25-19 win and 3-1 victory for the match.

Sommers once again played an exceptional match with 19 digs and 41 assists. Miller blasted a team-high 10 kills. As a unit, the Hawks were 89-of-92 from the service line with nine aces

"This was a nice win. It was nice playing these teams that drive a long way to play at Harper," Vilsoet said. "We have an excellent facility here to host high-quality tournaments and opponents.

Berggren and Sommers Named to All-Tournament Team

Middle hitter Sarah Berggren (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) and setter Katelyn Sommers (/Buffalo Grove) both earned spots on the Harper Volleyball Invitational All-Tournament team. 

Berggren had 40 kills in four matches. Sommers had double-doubles in three of the four matches. In total, she had 55 digs and 119 assists and was 45-of-46 from the service line with five aces.

Up Next

The Hawks resume conference play on Tuesday night at Milwaukee Area Technical College. First serve is set for 7 PM. Harper returns to its home court on Thursday night at 6 PM against Joliet Junior College.