OGLESBY, Ill. – The Harper College volleyball team took on Illinois Valley Community College and Millikin University JV at the Illinois Valley Tri-Match on Saturday. The Hawks (7-3) edged Illinois Valley in five sets and defeated Millikin in a four-set match.

Harper vs. Illinois Valley Community College

Harper started out in good shape with leads of 7-4, 9-5, 14-7, and 20-11 on the way to a 25-15 win. Libero Hannah Moore (/Schaumburg) collected 10 digs while middle hitter Daniele Sortino (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Elk Grove) put down three kills on five attacks.

The second set was a much closer set for the duration. Tied at 21-21, the Hawks scored the last four points to win. Setter Katelyn Sommers (/Buffalo Grove) had 10 digs, and Jillian Hoffman (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) tallied seven digs in the set. Sortino once again put down three kills, and Sarah Berggren (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) had two kills.

Harper trailed for the early part of the third before tying it up and keeping it close the rest of the way. Tied at 25-25, the Eagles scored the three of the final four points for a victory. First-year outside hitter Bre Swopes (/Waukegan ) got into the act with four kills on seven attacks.

The Hawks also fell behind in the fourth set and trailed 18-11 before cutting the deficit to 21-19. However, Illinois Valley scored the final four points to even the match at 2-2. Sortino and Shannon Igielski (Streamwood, Ill/St. Edward) each had three kills while Moore continued her defensive conquest with another seven digs.

A very close deciding fifth set ensued. Tied at 10-10, the Hawks pulled ahead to a 14-11 lead before winning 15-12. Adriana Loiacono (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) came through with three kills in the set while Katelyn Sommers (/Buffalo Grove) and Jillian Hoffman (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) had four digs apiece. Moore added two more digs for a set-high 32 digs and joined the 30-dig club in her libero debut.

Igielski led the Hawks attack with 10 kills. Jada Sharp (/Schaumburg Christian) and Sarah Berggren (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) had two blocks apiece while Sommers had an impressive double-double of 26 digs and 39 assists.

"Today we learned that when we are close to the finish line, we must finish the game," said Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet.

Harper vs. Millikin University JV

The Hawks finished off the day with a four-set win over the Millikin University JV team, 25-14, 25-15, 26-28, 27-25.

Harper was in control for most of the first set on the way to victory. Chartier had nine digs in the set alone, and Kayla Mayer (/Wauconda) was 11-of-12 serving with an ace. The Hawks took a 2-0 lead in the match with a second set victory. Igielski added five kills on 10 swings while Loiacono tallied six digs and was 5-of-5 with two aces from the service line.

The third set was close throughout, but Harper had chances to close it out at 24-23 and 25-24. However, two missed serves cost the Hawks a chance for a straight-set victory over the Big Blue. Also, the Hawks had 12 hitting errors, allowing Millikin took the third set, 28-26.

The Hawks pulled off a come-from-behind win in the fourth set after trailing 12-3 early. Sortino's serves got Harper back in the match, and the score was finally tied at 22-22. The two teams traded points until it was 25-25 before the Hawks scored the final two points to win the match, 3-1.

Igielski led the attack with 16 kills, followed by 12 kills from Sortino. Berggren played a solid all-around match with nine kills, 20-of-21 serving with an ace, three blocks, six digs and an assist. Chartier had a team-high 24 digs, and Sommers had another double-double with 14 digs and 37 assists.

Up Next

The Hawks return to N4C play at Triton College (1-6, 0-2 N4C) on Tuesday evening. First serve is set for 6 PM. Harper will then travel to the Rochester Community and Technical College Volleyball Invitational in Rochester, Minnesota and play two matches on Friday, Sept. 11 and two matches on Saturday, Sept. 12.