Lynx Volleyball goes 2-1 at Rockford Invite

[October 11, 2017] 

ROCKFORD -  The Lincoln College Women’s Volleyball team returned from their trip to Rockford this weekend with two wins and a very close loss to one of the top ranked teams in the nation.

On Friday evening, the Lady Lynx took on the host school, Rock Valley College, and won the match in three sets. Lincoln came out playing very sharp on offense behind the consistent passing of libero Megan Gilliam(Waterloo), defensive specialist Melanie Murray Chicago), and outside hitters Kaylyn Hoffert (Lincoln) and Maddie Malinowski (Bloomington). That group of passers gave setters Abbi Buelow (Rockford) and Jenna Weller (Salt Fork) the opportunities they needed to find open hitters all night long. LC stayed in command through the first two sets to win by identical scores of 25-17, 25-17.

In set three, RVC stepped up their game and was able to build a four point lead which they held on to for most of the set. Lincoln trailed by as many as six points late in the set, but managed to battle back to tie the match at 23-23. The comeback by LC was sparked by several kills from sophomore right side hitter Mattie Giese (Highland Park).

Giese was unstoppable for most of the match, collecting eight kills on just 11 attempts. LC would have to overcome one Rock Valley set point opportunity before running off two straight points on kills by sophomore outside hitter Kaylyn Hoffert to end the match with a 26-24 set three win.

Hoffert finished with a team-high 11 kills on the night, and she also recorded seven points and nine digs.

Maddie Malinowski turned in a great all-around performance for LC by leading the team in service points with 13, pounding out six kills and chipping in eight digs. Libero Megan Gilliam had 18 digs in the match while setters Jenna Weller and Abbi Buelow combined for 31 set assists.

On Saturday, LC got off to a slow start and dropped set one to Moraine Valley 25-21. Multiple service errors and ball handling mistakes committed by Lincoln made it difficult for the team’s offense to get on track. In set two, Lincoln was able to shake off their rough start and take command of the match.

LC middle blockers Cassidy Sanneman (Henry) and # 12 Elysa Smith (Metamora) were key contributor to the turnaround by blocking effectively at the net and providing much needed offensive consistency. Sanneman and Smith would each record seven blocks in the match and together accounted for nine kills. LC would go on to win the next three sets by comfortable margins of 25-18, 25-18, 25-19.

In their second match of the day, Lincoln faced McHenry County College which came in ranked #11 in the most recent NJCAA National Poll. MCC featured a tall front row and several big hitters, but the Lady Lynx showed they were up to the challenge early as the two teams traded side outs and winning long rallies which kept the score close. Set one could have gone either way, but it was MCC that got the final point to fall to take set one 27-25. Set two was just as competitive, but this time MCC got the upper hand at the right time and was able to win the set 25-22.

With their backs against the wall, Lincoln came out fighting in set three and led all the way for a 25-22 victory of their own. This time outside hitters Kaylyn Hoffert and Maddie Malinowski were keys to sparking the Lincoln comeback. Hoffert would finish the match with a team-high 11 kills while Malinowski was just behind her with 10. Malinowski was also efficient behind the service line as she used a powerful jump-serve to rack up 11 service points in the match, four of them coming on aces.

In set four, LC again was able to score points through tough serving and defending well, but the team tightened up late in the set and let a large lead slip away. McHenry was able to overcome an 18-12 deficit to tie the match at 21. Lincoln fought hard and did manage to go up 24-23 at one point, but a hitting error on their only set point opportunity gave the momentum back to MCC who eventually got set point to fall their way for a 27-25 win to end the match.

Lincoln Coach Mark Tippett was satisfied with his team’s performance on the weekend. “We played some great volleyball this weekend against top notch competition,” he said. “I was impressed with our passing once again and the variety we are showing on offense. Our setters are doing an outstanding job of finding open hitters and moving the ball around.”

Despite the loss to MCC, Tippett was pleased by his team’s effort against a nationally ranked opponent. He said, “We definitely showed we are ready to compete with the best in our league. MCC has a great team with some super athletic kids. It was awesome to watch our players compete right with them, and I am sure we are better as a team for having played them. It was a fun match for everyone involved.”

Lincoln (15-8) is off until Thursday evening when they will host Carl Sandburg College in a 6:00 PM match. LC lost a close one to CSC at their gym last week in five sets.

[Mark Tippett
Lincoln College
Sports Information]