The Lake Forest College volleyball team won its third Midwest Conference match in as many days on Saturday, defeating visiting Grinnell College 25-22, 24-26, 25-13, 25-16. The Foresters fell 25-13, 25-22, 23-25, 36-34 to Trinity International University later in the afternoon. Lake Forest juniors Cori Cooper and Molly McCloskey combined for 74 kills on the day.
Cooper had a match-high 18 kills and McCloskey added 16 kills and 13 digs against Grinnell. Classmate Tia Rupnik led all players in the contest with 22 digs and sophomore Tori Drasler tallied 25 of the Foresters' 46 assists.
Back-to-back Lake Forest points broke a 1-1 tie early in the first set and the home team led the rest of the way. The Foresters extended their advantage to as many as six points late in the set. Four straight Pioneer points made the score 24-22 but a kill by Cooper closed out the set.
Lake Forest trailed 15-10 in set two when head coach Jennifer Saylor called a timeout. Her team then went on a 10-2 run and was ahead 24-22 before Grinnell won four consecutive points to take the set.
The Foresters would not trail again in the match. The team jumped out to a 6-1 lead in set three and scored seven points in a row later in the set to pull away. Kills by Cooper and freshman Torie Pasiewicz finished it off.
Lake Forest maintained a small lead throughout the fourth set. The score was 19-15 before a 6-1 Forester run secured the victory.
Grinnell fell to 9-14 overall and finished its conference schedule with a league record of 6-3.
McCloskey and Cooper each pounded out 20 kills against Trinity International. Rupnik led the team again in digs with 20 and Pasiewicz, freshman Brooke Perkins, and McCloskey chipped in with 15, 14, and 13, respectively. McCloskey and Pasiewicz also served up three aces apiece and Perkins added two. Drasler recorded 26 assists and Pasiewicz 22.
The Foresters scored the first three points of set one but the Trojans quickly came back. Trinity International was leading 14-12 before rattling off seven straight points. A kill by Lake Forest freshman Amber Graghead stopped the run but the visitors won the next four points to take the set.
The end of set two was also a problem for the home team, which led 21-18 after a Drasler kill. Trinity International scored the next six points and held on to win the set.
The Foresters never trailed in set three. They pulled out to a 22-14 lead before the Trojans rallied again and won nine of the next 11 points. A kill by McCloskey, however, finished it off.
Neither team led by more than two at any time in a 70-point set four. The Foresters fought off the Trojan's first two set point opportunities before failing to convert on six of their own. Trinity International was the first to 32, 33, 34, and 35 points before finally clinching the set and match.
Lake Forest is now 12-11 overall and the victory over Grinnell gave the Foresters a 5-1 mark in league play. Trinity International defeated Grinnell in five sets before facing Lake Forest and is now 10-14 on the year.
The Foresters will play three more conference matches next week, beginning Wednesday night at 7:00 at Carroll University. Lake Forest will also host St. Norbert College Friday night and will close out the regular season on Saturday against Lawrence University and non-conference foe Alverno College.
