Senior Olivia Rhodes led Lake Forest with 23 assists and tied for the team lead with 10 kills Tuesday night in a 25-18, 17-25, 25-22, 25-17 triumph at Beloit College.
Rhodes shared the team lead and matched her career-high for kills while nearly reached double figures in a third category, finishing the contest with nine digs. She also served up an ace and added a pair of blocks.
Freshman Madison Stevens also had 10 kills on the night and posted a .500 hitting percentage. Freshman Izzi Visnjevac, the reigning Midwest Conference Defensive Performer of the Week, racked up a match-high 26 digs while senior Anna Denslow added dozen. Junior Hannah Nauert was just behind Rhodes with 17 assists and junior Isabel Donnelly led the visitors with four blocks.
Beloit was ahead 10-9 in the opening set before the Foresters rattled off four straight points to take the lead for good. The margin grew to five points several times and reached seven at the end.
The Buccaneers won the first two points and led throughout set two. They continued to pull away and took won it by eight.
Lake Forest led by as many as four points early in the third set but Beloit took 10 of the next 14 points to pull ahead by two. The difference was two again at 17-15 when the visitors won six of the next seven points to take a 21-18 lead. The home team quickly came back and tied the score at 21 but, behind two kills and a block by junior Hannah Hornacek, the Foresters won three of the next four points and the set.
A 16-3 run by Lake Forest in set four turned a five-point deficit into a commanding 20-12 lead. The Bucs closed to within six a couple of times but got no closer. Rhodes set up a kill by junior Olivia Smith that finished off the Foresters' fourth consecutive victory.
Lake Forest improved to 10-12 overall this season and evened its conference record at 3-3. Beloit fell to 8-13 overall and 0-6 in the MWC.
The Foresters will play their final two home matches of the year this weekend, hosting St. Norbert College Friday night at 7:00 and Lawrence University for Senior Day Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
