|
 Trailing 7-0 in the first quarter, Millikin got on the board with
a 22 yard field goal by Chayce Volpert (Chatham, Chatham Glenwood
H.S.).
North Park answered to make it a 14-3 game, but Millikin cut into
the lead when Nicco Stepina (Casey, Casey Westfield H.S.) hit
Cameron Mammen (Urbana, H.S.) on a 29 yard pass with 7:17 left in
the first half.
North Park led 17-10 at the half, but Millikin controlled the second
half keeping the Vikings off the scoreboard.
The Big Blue tied the game with 6:11 left in the third on an 18 yard
pass from Stepina to Mammen.
The Big Blue took the lead for good on a 31 yard field goal from
Volpert.
Stepina was 28-38-2 passing for 334 yards. Mammen had eight catches
for 118 yards. Brady Cufaude also had eight catches for 111 yards.
Demetreeus Loper (Indianapolis, Indiana, Lawrence Central H.S.) led
the Millikin defenders with 15 tackles. Danny Beresky (Mapleton,
Peotone H.S.) had an interception for the Big Blue and ended North
Park’s final scoring driving knocking down a fourth down pass
completion attempting.
 Both teams are now 2-5, 1-3.
The Big Blue hit the road the next two weeks starting on Oct. 31 at
Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Millikin Volleyball Battles Top Competition
The Millikin volleyball team battled through one of the toughest
stretches on its schedule last week. The Big Blue were involved in a
battle for first place in the conference and faced three teams
ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25.
On October 21, Millikin knocked off Illinois Wesleyan University 3-1
at the Griswold Center. Heading into the game Millikin and Illinois
Wesleyan were part of the four way battle for the top spot in the
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. The Big Blue victory
put them into a first place tie with Elmhurst College at 4-1.
The match was highly competitive throughout with the Big Blue
winning the first two sets 25-23, 25-22. Illinois Wesleyan won the
third set 25-23 before Millikin took the final set 25-20. Millikin
had a balanced attack with three players in double figures with
kills led by Erin Syversen (Pewaukee, Wisconsin, Waukesha West H.S.)
with 18. Kelsey Talkington (North Aurora, Aurora Central Catholic
H.S.) had 15 and Cortney Bohn (Mahomet, Mahomet Seymour H.S.) added
11. Talkington and Bohn each had four blocks.
Alora Goodey (Lincoln, H.S.) had a team high seven
blocks for Millikin along with six kills. Emily Mihalkanin (Willowbrook,
Hinsdale South H.S.) had 50 set assists and 11 digs. Cassidy Kingery
(Heyworth, H.S.) had a team high 25 digs.
The Millikin volleyball team lost two games to teams ranked the AVCA
Top 25 to open play in Millikin’s Linda Slagell Dig for the Cure
Tournament on October 23.
Millikin lost its first match to #19 Wisconsin-Oshkosh 3-2. The Big
Blue came out strong and won the first two sets 25-14 and 25-19. The
Titans seemed to gather themselves in the third set winning 25-16.
Wisconsin-Oshkosh then won the fourth set 25-18 and the fifth set
15-9. Syversen led the way for Millikin with 20 kills and 13 digs.
Bohn had 11 kills and four blocks. Goodey tied Bohn for the team
high in block at four. Mihalkanin had 37 set assists, 19 digs and
three service aces. Kingery had 34 digs for the Big Blue.
 The Big Blue dropped its second game to third ranked Washington
University-St. Louis 3-0. The Bears won the first two sets 25-17 and
25-15, but the Big Blue never stopped battling and fell in the third
set 27-25. Syversen had 12 kills and eight digs. Kingery had a team
high 17 digs. Mihalkanin had 21 set assists.
Millikin opened play on Saturday with a 3-0 (25-9, 25-23, 25-9) win
over Central College. Syversen led the Big Blue with 11 kills and 14
digs. Goodey had eight kills and two blocks. Mihalkanin had 27 set
assists.
In the second match on Saturday, Millikin lost to #21 University of
Chicago 3-1. Millikin won the first set 25-18, the University of
Chicago answered back taking the next three sets 25-18, 25-12,
25-23. It was the third match in the tournament that had the Big
Blue facing teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25 for NCAA Division III.
Syversen again led the way with 16 kills and 18 digs. Kelsey
Talkington had 10 kills and two blocks. Kingery had 18 digs and two
service aces. Mihalkanin had 46 set assists.
Millikin is now 20-11 on the season and will travel to Elmhurst
College on Wednesday, October 28. Millikin and Elmhurst are
currently tied for first in the CCIW with 4-1 conference records.
Millikin Swimming Opens Season
The Millikin swimming team opened the 2015-16 season with a double
dual meet at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on October 23 in
Terre Haute, Indiana.
The Millikin women defeated Manchester University 162-74, but lost
to Rose-Hulman 149-100. The Big Blue men lost to Manchester 120-67
and to Rose-Hulman 206-30.
Millikin senior Shelby Kobs (Byron, H.S.) opened the season strong
winning the 100 Yard Breaststroke in 1:12.17, finishing first in the
200 Yard IM in 2:23.77 and coming home in second in the 200 Yard
Breaststroke in 2:39.50.
[to top of second column] |
Freshman Caroline Lodovisi (Crown Point, Indiana, H.S.) was a double
event winner in her debut. Lodovisi won the 200 Yard Butterfly
2:19.19 and the 100 Yard Butterfly in 1:03.41.
Sophomore Sami Battle (Odell, Pontiac H.S.) won the 100 Yard
Freestyle in 56.32 and finished in second in the 50 Yard Freestyle
in 25.13.
Highlight of the night for the Millikin men was winning the 400 Yard Freestyle
in 3:36.51. Spencer McGowan (Morton, H.S.), Tyler Via (Honolulu, Hawaii,
Maryknoll HS.), Keegan Duesterhaus (Spartanburg S.C., Spartanburg Day School)
and Matthew Vanguten (East Peoria, H.S.) swimming legs for the Big Blue.
Next up for Millikin is the Illinois Wesleyan Halloween Invite on October 31.
Big Blue Men’s Soccer Defeats Illinois Wesleyan
The Millikin men’s soccer team scored a key conference road win defeating
Illinois Wesleyan 3-1 on October 21 in Bloomington, Illinois.
Millikin got on the board early when Tucker Mathieson (Decatur, Warrensburg
Latham H.S.) took advantage of a defensive miscue to find the net at the 3:22
mark. The Big Blue went up 2-0 late in the first half when Sam Rackovan (Dardenne
Prairie, Missouri, Fort Zumwalt West H.S.) scored off an assist from Nick Abel
(Schaumburg, H.S.).
After a Titan goal, Millikin pushed its lead back to two at 3-1 one minute later
on a goal on a free kick by Abel.
Daniel Sinclair (Peoria, Richwoods H.S.) had six saves for Millikin and Trevor
Creek (Manteno, H.S.) had eight.
The Millikin men dropped a critical conference match to Carthage College 1-0 on
October 24 at Frank M. Lindsay Field in Decatur, Illinois. Millikin is now 10-5,
but falls to 1-4 in CCIW action. Carthage improves to 10-5-2, 4-1-1.
The game’s only goal came at the 56:16 mark when Carthage’s Zach Schoffstall
scored on an assist from Austin Bitta and Ben Poder.
Carthage edged Millikin in shots for the night 15-12.
For Millikin, Creek played well goal making his first collegiate start recording
six saves.
Millikin has two games remaining. They will be at home on October 28 to host
North Central College and then close out the season at Augustana on October 31.
Millikin Suffers Two Losses
The Millikin women’s soccer team lost at home to Carthage College 3-1 on October
24.
Carthage controlled the game out shooting Millikin 26-2. Trailing 3-0, Millikin
got on the board late in the game Emily Sanders (Ballwin, Missouri, Parkway
South H.S.) scored off an assist from Kayla Lojas (New Lenox, Lincoln Way West
H.S.). Anna Benvenuto (West Allis, Wisconsin, PUIX XI H.S.) had 16 goals in net
for the Big Blue.
The Millikin women’s soccer team lost at #8 Illinois Wesleyan 4-1 on October 21
in Bloomington, Illinois. Millikin’s goal came in the 81st minute when Amber
Bell (Glen Burnie, Maryland, Chesapeake H.S.) scored.
Millikin will host North Central College on October 28 at 5 p.m.
Millikin Women’s Tennis Competes In CCIW Championships
The Millikin women's tennis team wrapped up its fall season finishing in seventh
place at the 2015 CCIW Women's Tennis Championships played at the Centre Court
Athletic Club in Hanover Park, Illinois October 22-24.
In action on Saturday, Millikin's number three doubles team of Amber Morgan
(Taylorville, H.S.) and Madi Delano (Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove H.S.)
picked up a win 8-0 over Robinson and Ruffalo of Illinois Wesleyan to advance to
the drawback semifinal. The win propelled the Big Blue ahead of the Titans in
the team standing. Millikin lost the semifinal match 8-0 to Barter and Kalinka
of Carthage.
In action Thursday, Morgan and Delano defeated Marisa Coladipietro and Karissa
Schroeder from North Central College 9-8 (6) in an opening round match. Then on
Friday the Big Blue Morgan and Delano lost to Miranda Kay and Erika Nelson from
Wheaton College 8-0 sending them to the drawback bracket.
[Bryan Marshall, Millikin University] |
