PALATINE, IL- In a tournament that featured a trio of former national champions as well as a matchup of the #1 and #2 ranked teams in Division III, the Harper Hawks came out on top with a clean sweep in all four matches.

MATCH 1- Harper defeats Rochester (25-13, 25-17, 25-13)

On Friday, Harper's first match of the day featured the last two DIII National Champions (Harper in 2016, Rochester in 2015).  The Hawks got off to a fast start winning set one 25-13 behind the strong attacking of Ellie Burzlaff (/Harvest Christian) (5 kills) and Mackenzie Bush (/Bartlett) (3 kills).  Setter Emily Huprich (/Elgin) added 14 assists to go along with the strong defense of Sarah Udoni (/Palatine) (2 blocks) and Ariana Chelini (/Crystal Lake South) (7 digs).  Chelini added on two aces.  Set two saw more of the same from Harper as they jumped out to a 9-3 lead before eventually taking the set 25-17.  Udoni was once again heavily involved with 4 kills and a block.  Burzlaff, Breanna Cullen (/Oregon), and Marielle Lugo (/Hoffman Estates) added on 3 kills.  Huprich rounded out the offense with 12 assists.  The Hawks finished out the match with a 25-13 win in set three.  Burzlaff added on an additional four kills while Udoni added on two kills with another two blocks.  Karolina Sas (/Fremd) and Cullen got in on the defensive side adding five and six digs, respectively.

Harper was running on all cylinders to open the tournament.  As a team, the Hawks served at 92% with 5 aces.  Attacking was another strong point, as the team totaled 42 kills at 21.7% with 41 assists.  On defense, Harper had 7 blocks and 55 digs.

MATCH 2- Harper Defeats D2 Kishwaukee (25-15, 25-15, 25-17)

The second match on Friday brought the Hawks against 5-time National Champion Kishwaukee College.  Harper was not intimidated as they once again came out on top in set one 25-15.  The usual suspects were at the front of the attack with Udoni leading with six kills and Burzlaff added on five of her own behind Huprich's 15 assists.  Sas lead the Harper defense with 5 digs.  Burzlaff was 10-10 serving with 2 aces.  Set two saw more of the same as the Hawks came out to a 10-4 lead that they extended to 14-6 before finishing the set once again at 25-15.  Cullen lead the team with four kills while Lydia Schiller (/Hoffman Estates) got in on the action with three kills of her own.  Chelini (6 digs) and Cullen (4 digs) were strong on defense while Burzlaff (10-10 with an ace) repeated her serving performance from set one.  Another quick start in set three took the Hawks to a 25-17 win and taking the match 3-0.  Burzlaff once again lead the offense with 3 kills and added 5 assists.  Gianna Carusiello (/Hersey) tacked on 7 assists while Cullen (9 digs) and Chelini (5 digs) got it done on defense.  Cullen was also 9-10 serving with 2 aces.

Harper served at an 85% clip while adding on 9 aces.  The team totaled 41 kills at 28.3% with 29 assists.  The Hawk's defense saw 57 digs and 4 blocks.

MATCH 3- Harper Defeats D3 #2 Ridgewater (25-17, 25-22, 25-18)

The first match on Saturday brought the two powerhouses of Division III together for an intense matchup that was tight until the end.  Harper got off to a 5-1 then 12-7 lead before Ridgewater brought it to 12-11 and 18-15 before calling a timeout.  After the stoppage in play, the Hawks took advantage and took set one 25-17.  The story of the game from the Harper offense was once again Emily Huprich (/Elgin), who had an unheard of and likely Harper record 19 assists while being 7-7 on serves.  Burzlaff (6 kills), Cullen (5 kills), Udoni (3 kills), and Mackenzie Bush (/Bartlett) (3 kills) paced the Harper offense.  Set two was closely contested from the start before finishing out 25-22 in Harper's favor.  The set saw five ties and no lead greater than four points.  Huprich followed up her record setting performance with 8 more assists while Burzlaff and Udoni added on 4 and 3 kills, respectively.  Set three showed why both teams are at the top of the rankings.  Ridgewater started off ahead 1-4 and 3-8 before a timeout from Harper.  The Hawks bounced back to make the score 6-8 before Gabby Fugle (/Wauconda) changed the pace of the game with six excellent serves and brought the Hawks on top for the first time at 14-11.  Harper would lead the rest of the way and take the match with a 25-18 third set win.

The Harper offense paced the team to the sweep while they served at 91% and hit at 33% with 43 kills.  Hurpich and Cullen combined for the team's 41 total assists.  Another strong defensive showing from the team saw 45 digs and 9 blocks.

MATCH 4- Harper Defeats D2 Lincoln College (25-15, 25-17, 25-14)

The final match of the College of DuPage Invitational saw more of the same from the red hot Hawks, once again taking the match in three straight sets.  Harper got off to a 10-5 lead before Lincoln made a strong comeback to tie the set at 12.  Breanna Cullen (/Oregon) stepped up from there and brought the Hawks back ahead 23-13 before the eventual final score of 25-15.  Cullen was 13-13 serving with 2 aces and 8 digs.  Fugle stuffed the stat sheet with 3 kills, 3 blocks, and a block assist.  Huprich added 5 kills and an out of character 4 assists.  Set two saw another fast start pace the offense to a 25-17 win.  Burzlaff had 5 kills, Fugle added on 4 more of her own, and Lugo, Udoni, and Cullen all finished with 3.  Huprich added on 13 assists and 6 digs while Cullen added 8 digs and service ace.  Harper then finished off the match with a 25-14 set three win.  Burzlaff and Udoni each had 4 kills while Cullen and Fugle added on 3 of their own.  Ariana Chelini (/Crystal Lake South) was 6-6 serving and pitched in 8 digs on defense.

Harper served at 91% for the match with 4 aces.  On the attack, the Hawks had 42 kills and hit at a 27.3% clip.  On defense, there were 64 digs and 7 total blocks.  Emily Huprich (/Elgin) finished the match with a double-double (11 digs, 27 assists).

The Hawks next match will be the first home match of the year against N4C opponent Joliet Junior College.  With Building M still under renovations, home matches will be played at Robert Morris University (2121 S. Goebbert Road, Arlington Heights, IL).