The Forester volleyball team defeated Illinois Institute of Technology 25-20, 25-16, 25-20 at home Tuesday night. Lake Forest junior outside hitter Paige Jespersen recorded a dozen kills and 10 digs in the season opener for both teams.
With just one error in 23 attempts, Jespersen posted a .478 hitting percentage on the night. She had four kills in each set and tallied six digs in the third. It was her eighth career double-double.
Juinor middle blocker Brittany Avonts was next on the team with seven kills and senior libero Brianne Honda matched Jespersen's team-high total for digs. Honda and junior defensive specialist Briahna Havis each had a pair of aces and Avonts finished with three blocks.
The opening set was close, with neither team leading by more than three points until the Foresters broke an 18-18 tie with four in a row. After a kill by Illinois Tech, the home team took three of the next four points to close out the set.
Lake Forest jumped out to a 9-2 lead in set two but the Scarlet Hawks battled back to within two on three occasions, the last at 14-12. The Foresters then rattled off five straight points and later went on a 4-0 run to put the set out of reach.
Like the first set, the third was tied at 18 before the Foresters pulled away. Lake Forest won seven of the final nine points to finish off the set and take the match.
The College will play host to the five-team Forester Invitational this weekend. Lake Forest will face Milwaukee School of Engineering and Greenville College Friday evening at 4:00 and 8:00, respectively. The Foresters will also take on the University of Wisconsin_River Falls Saturday morning at 10:00 and Marian University at 2:00 in the afternoon.
