JOLIET, Ill. -- Indiana University Northwest hit .254 and produced 47 kills as the RedHawks earned a 3-0 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference sweep (25-20, 25-21, 25-21) over the University of St. Francis women's volleyball team Tuesday evening at the Pat Sullivan Center.
The loss dropped the Fighting Saints to 9-16 on the season and 7-10 in CCAC play. Indiana Northwest improved to 18-7 overall and 13-4 in league action.
Aubrey Phillips led the Saints with eight kills and posted a team-high .389 hitting percentage, while
Delani Kirstein,
Emma Rodriguez and
Sarah Schmidt each finished with six kills apiece.Â
Landry Hall (17) and
Kennedy Walker (12) combined for 29 assists as USF hit .144 in the loss.Â
Maura Babuskow anchored the St. Francis defense with a team-high 15 digs.
Set 1 began with the two teams squaring off at 11 points apiece midway through the frame. A 6-2 scoring spurt from IUN would follow until kills from Phillips and Schmidt allowed the Saints to come within two points at 18-16. USF's hopes of a win came up short, however, with the RedHawks closing the set out with six kills en route to the 25-20 victory.
The second stanza saw the RedHawks zoom away to a 14-6 lead until kills from Schmidt and Phillips gave the Saints' a glimpse of hope. Indiana Northwest would retaliate with seven kills of its own, however, to earn the Set 2 win with a 25-21 final score.
The Saints were able to tie the score on five separate occasions within the first 18 rallies of Set 3 before the guests went on a 7-3 run to take the lead at 16-12. Kills from Phillips (2), Rodriguez (2) and
Olivia Cosgrove (1) would aid USF into tying the score back up at 21-21, but the RedHawks would pull away late on a 4-0 run to close out the set and earn the sweep with the 25-21 victory.
Next Up
The Saints will return home on Thursday (Nov. 5), for a 7 pm CCAC contest against Viterbo University (Wis.).
You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.
