PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College volleyball team hosted another tri-match on Saturday inside the Wellness & Sports Center. The Hawks (19-8) were victorious in matches against Highland Community College (Ill.) and Prairie State College.

Harper vs. Highland Community College (Ill.)

The Hawks played well and defeated Highland in three sets, 25-8, 26-24, 25-14.

In the first set, Harper took an 8-2 lead and extended it to 17-4 on the way to a 25-8 win. The Hawks played exceptional defense in the set with 28 digs. Jillian Hoffman (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) and Katelyn Sommers (/Buffalo Grove) each had six digs. Harper was strong in serving as well, going 23-of-24 in the set.

The Hawks fell behind 14-6 to the Cougars in the second set but used a 10-2 run to tie it at 16-16. The teams traded points for the remainder of the set before Harper scored the final two points for a 26-24 win. Outside hitter Shannon Igielski (Streamwood, Ill/St. Edward) played an exceptional set with 10 kills on 13 swings, and middle hitter Sarah Berggren (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) added four kills and two blocks. Sommers guided the offense with 15 assists. Harper added 24 digs, led by eight from Hannah Moore (/Schaumburg).

The Hawks were in command during the third set, holding leads of 10-2, 18-12, and 21-14 on the way to a 25-14 win. Igielski continued her torrid pace with another five kills for 15 kills in the match. Hoffman added three more kills to go along with five digs.

Stat Leaders:

Kills: Sarah Berggren (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) 24-of-27, 15 kills

Serving: Daniele Sortino (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Elk Grove) 13-of-13, two aces

Blocking: Sarah Berggren (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) two blocks

Digs: Hannah Moore (/Schaumburg) 17 digs

Assists: Katelyn Sommers (/Buffalo Grove) 32 assists

Double-Double: Katelyn Sommers (/Buffalo Grove) 10 digs, 32 assists

Harper vs. Prairie State College

The Hawks defeated the Prairie State Pioneers in straight sets, 25-18, 25-17, and 25-8 to close out a 3-1 weekend in two tri-matches.

Game one featured many ties (14-14, 15-15, 16-16) in the middle before Harper closed the game on a 9-2 run for a victory. Debra Miller (/Marian Catholic) led the offensive attack with four kills, and Berggren and Adriana Loiacono (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) each contributed three kills. Sommers was strong from the service line as she went 9-of-9 with three aces.

Harper started out up 9-1 in game two but let the Pioneers close to 13-9. The Hawks built the lead up to 18-12 on the way to a 25-17 win. Miller and Sortino both accounted for three kills.

Sortino played an important role in the game three victory as she had seven kills, three solo blocks, and three assisted blocks in the 25-8 win. The Hawks built up leads of 10-2, 13-4, and 21-7 in the game. Sommers guided the offense with eight assists, and Chartier added another nine digs and had 19 digs for the match.

Stat Leaders:

Kills: Daniele Sortino (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Elk Grove) 14-of-17, 10 kills

Serving: Katelyn Sommers (/Buffalo Grove) 20-of-20, three aces

Blocking: Daniele Sortino (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Elk Grove) 8.5 blocks

Digs: Meghan Chartier (Inverness, Ill./Buffalo Grove) 19 digs

Assists: Katelyn Sommers (/Buffalo Grove) 24 assists

Up Next

The Hawks return to the court on Tuesday night as they travel to No. 1 Madison College (17-4, 5-1 N4C). The WolfPack are currently riding a 14-game winning streak. Harper defeated Madison in three sets on Sept. 1.

Harper hosts the eight-team Harper College Invite on Saturday, Oct. 3. For more information on the invite, click here.