Lynx Women's Volleyball moves to 16-8 with five set win over Sandburg

[October 14, 2017] 

There was a large crowd on hand at Jack D. Nutt Arena Thursday evening to witness the rematch between the Lincoln College Lady Lynx and the Carl Sandburg College Chargers. Anticipation was high for another close battle seeing as the two teams played an epic five set match just two weeks ago. Sandburg came away with a close win that night by taking the final set 16-14. The fans who turned out would not be disappointed as this match again went five sets, however this time it was Lincoln’s turn to taste victory in the deciding set and improve their record to a season-high eight games over .500.

The match began in a similar fashion to the first time the two teams met in that Lincoln started off slowly and committed a number of errors on their way to a 25-22 set one loss. In set two, Lincoln was able to rebound and play much better. A major cause for the turnaround was improved blocking at the net by LC which disrupted the Charger offense and helped Lincoln build an early lead. Sophomore right side hitter Mattie Giese (Highland Park) would connect with fellow sophomore Abbi Buelow (Rockford) for five kills in the set which Lincoln won 25-18. Giese would finish the match tied with sophomore outside hitter Kaylyn Hoffert for the team lead in kills with 13. Buelow emerged as the night’s set assist leader (20) and she had the most points served with nine.

In set three, Lincoln continued to play well on defense, but this time Sandburg was able to stay with LC and eventually grab the lead at 13-11. The tide would then turn in Lincoln’s favor after a well-placed set shot from sophomore setter Jenna Weller (Salt Fork) found the floor in the center of the Charger defense. The side out sent sophomore middle hitter Elysa Smith (Metamora) to the service line. Smith would pick up an ace, a dig and set assist during a four-point run of serves which staked LC to a 16-13 lead. The Lady Lynx were able to maintain their lead and finish off the set 25-19. Their final push to the finish was sparked by a kill and three service points from freshman outside hitter Maddie Malinowski (Bloomington).

In set four, Lincoln looked to close out the match, but aggressive serving by CSC threw the LC offense off track and resulted in the Chargers leading all the way for a 25-20 set win to force a deciding set to 15.

In the final set, neither team was able to put together a run of points as they both managed to side out efficiently all the way up to a 13-13 tie score. With the pressure on the LC passers, CSC served the next volley which was poorly handled by the Lynx and resulted in a free ball. Sandburg then mishandled the pass and was unable to return the ball giving LC a match point opportunity at 14-13. After a Charger time out, senior defensive specialist Erica King (Atlanta) entered the game to serve and was able to force Sandburg into sending a free ball back to LC. Lincoln did not let the opportunity slip away as outside hitter Maddie Malinowski placed a perfect pass to setter Abbit Buelow who once again went to right side Mattie Giese for the swing. Giese pounded a kill through the Sandburg block to win the set 15-13.

Lincoln Coach Mark Tippett was proud of the way his team battled from start to finish. “We had two fantastic matches with Sandburg this year, and it feels great to get an exciting win in front of our home crowd,” said Tippett. “We struggled for most of the night on offense, but I was impressed with how we never gave up, kept a positive attitude and worked hard to find a way to win.”

Several Lincoln players racked up impressive stat totals during the five set match. Freshman libero Megan Gilliam (Waterloo) had a season high 23 digs and scored 7 points. Sophomore middle hitter Cassidy Sanneman had five kills and three blocks for LC, while fellow sophomore Melanie Murray recorded seven digs. Sophomore right side Mikayla Seibert (Mackinaw) turned in a strong performance with eight kills and four blocks.

On Saturday, Lincoln College (16-8) will be the host site for the Mid-West Athletic Conference Tournament. Lincoln will play matches at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. Participating teams include Lewis & Clark College, Lincoln Land Community College (#5) and Parkland College (#2).

[Mark Tippett
Lincoln College
Sports Information]