Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College volleyball team began its season by hosting the Lady Blue Invitational at Sherman Gymnasium in Jacksonville, Illinois. The event took place over Friday and Saturday, with visiting teams including Rose-Hulman, Eureka, Augustana, and North Central.

On Saturday, the Lady Blues played two matches. In their first match against Augustana, Illinois College started strong with an early 4-0 lead but could not maintain momentum as Augustana came back to win in straight sets. Delani Klaas led the Lady Blues with eight kills. Riley Drake contributed four kills and a service ace. Summer Brandis provided 14 assists and 11 digs, while Mady Salisbury had a team-high 14 digs.

Later that day, Illinois College faced North Central and secured a four-set victory. The Lady Blues won the first set 25-22 and followed up with a 25-20 win in the second set. North Central claimed the third set before Illinois College closed out the match in the fourth with a 25-21 win. Riley Drake recorded 13 kills and 11 digs for a double-double performance. Klaas added 12 kills on a .296 hitting percentage. Laura Kaiser had seven kills and two blocks. Salisbury led defensively with 13 digs, while Brandis and Kahli O'Neal combined for 35 assists.

The Lady Blues will continue their season next weekend at the Wisconsin Lutheran Quad in Milwaukee, where they are scheduled to play Loras College on Friday afternoon.