BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology captured a four-set victory over Knox College and dropped a three-set match to Dominican University at the Illinois Wesleyan Volleyball Invitational on Friday night.
The Fightin' Engineers topped Knox 25-23, 25-11, 23-25, 25-13 in the opening match of this weekend's four contests at Illinois Wesleyan. Dominican showcased its strength in the nightcap, topping Rose-Hulman 25-17, 27-25, 25-15.
Against Knox, sophomore Emily McLendon and freshman Becca Poppel each reached double figures in kills to lead the offensive effort. McLendon smashed 13 kills with a .500 hitting percentage, and Poppel added 11 kills.
Junior Sarah Jensen paced the squad with 20 assists, and sophomore Morgan Dreyer added 15. Poppel also led the serving performance with three aces.
Freshman Gabi Razma led three Fightin' Engineers in double figures with 24 digs. Dreyer contributed 17 digs, and senior Briana Harvey pitched in with 15. Freshman Mackenzie Gossard led the blocking effort with five block assists.
Poppel also reached double figures in kills against Dominican with 10. Jensen recorded a team-high 13 assists, and the duo of Razma and Harvey contributed 11 digs each. McLendon had one solo block and two block assists to pace the Rose-Hulman front row.
The Fightin' Engineers stand 8-7 on the season and return to action with two matches on Saturday. Rose-Hulman will face Monmouth College at 10 a.m. Central Time (11 a.m. Indiana time), then face St. Xavier University at 2 p.m. Central Time.
