The Forester volleyball team was defeated in four sets by visiting Marian University Friday night.
Sophomore Juli Barrientos led the home team with 18 assists and a career-high 20 digs. Fellow setter Lilly Robinson, a freshman, added 16 assists while senior libero Izzi Visnjevac was next on the team in digs with 14. Robinson and Visnjevac also had three aces apiece.
Junior Mary Gegen led the Foresters' offensive attack with 18 kills and a .410 hitting percentage on the night. Senior Madison Stevens also reached double figures with 10 kills while junior Grace Franz chipped in with nine.
The first two sets were close throughout and included a combined 17 ties and five lead changes. Lake Forest trailed 22-21 in the first set before winning four straight points, including three on kills by Stevens, to close it out. The second set was tied at 20 before the Sabres took five of the next seven points to tie the match.
An 9-2 run in the middle of set three turned an 11-9 lead into an 18-13 deficit for the Foresters. They got no closer than three the rest of the way.
There were 10 ties and five lead changes in the fourth and final set. The score was tied at 22 before an attack error and a receiving error by the Foresters set up match point for Marian. The Sabres were unable to convert on their first attempt but did so on the second to secure the victory.
Lake Forest fell to 14-12 on the season while Marian improved to 8-23.
The Foresters will host Grinnell College for Senior Day Saturday afternoon at 1:00. The will also face Grinnell in the semifinals of the 2022 Midwest Conference Tournament at Cornell College next Friday.