MOUNT VERNON, Iowa - The (RV) Coe College volleyball team extended its winning streak to eight games on Saturday afternoon, earning a pair of ranked victories over #11 UW-Eau Claire and #21 Illinois Wesleyan. The Kohawks faced the defending national champion Blugolds in match one and made a statement, earning a 3-0 sweep over their opponents. Pin hitter
Madi Parson had a team-high nine kills in the match while middle blockers
Rachael Kilpatrick and
Grace Lueken added eight kills each, attacking at a .389 clip. Coe was tested more in the second match of the day, earning a 3-2 win over #21 IWU. The Kohawks raced out to an early 2-0 lead in the match but had to withstand a comeback attempt from the Titans. Lueken was again an instrumental part of the offense, posting a career-high 21 kills and a hitting percentage of .436. Freshman specialists
Maddy Maahs and
Ella Koloc were also crucial in the victories, racking up 81 assists and 33 digs respectively. With the wins, Coe improves to 15-3 on the season while UW-Eau Claire and Illinois Wesleyan move to 12-4 and 10-6 on the season.
GAME FACTS:
(RV) COE 3 - #11 UW-EAU CLAIRE 0
- Coe and UWEC battled back-and-forth to start the match, with neither team taking a significant lead early on. The Kohawks managed to take a two-point lead at 17-15, getting a kill from Lueken and an ace from Kate Tidman. The run continued for the Kohawks after a timeout, extending their lead to 20-17 which forced another pause from the opponents. Coe eventually claimed the opening set 25-22, getting a strong serving run from Maahs along the way.
- The Kohawks had early control in the second period, taking a 9-6 advantage before a timeout from UWEC. The teams traded blows over the next few rallies but the Blugolds pulled within two after a run of three-straight. The spurt continued following a timeout with UWEC taking a lead at 17-16 thanks to a string of four consecutive points. Coe buckled down for the remainder of the frame, scoring nine of the final 14 points to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
- Coe held Eau Claire to its lowest total of the match in the third and final set, claiming the victory with a 25-21 decision. The Kohawks held the Blugolds to just 12 kills in the period while forcing eight errors overall. UWEC started strong, opening a 5-1 lead in the set but Coe stormed back with an 11-3 run to regain control. The Kohawks never looked back en route to the sweep, extending their lead to 21-14 which proved too great a margin for the opponents to overcome.
GAME FACTS:
(RV) COE 3 - #21 ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 2
- Coe and IWU were hard to separate in the opening set but the Kohawks claimed a narrow 28-26 victory after some extra points. Tidman was on fire in the period for Coe, racking up six kills while posting an impressive .333 hitting percentage. The Kohawks trailed 20-18 late in the period but had a strong run to force a timeout from Wesleyan. The Kohawks would score the final three points of the frame, taking advantage of back-to-back errors from the Titans.
- The Titans and Kohawks both struggled on offense in the second set, posting hitting percentages of .061 and .071 respectively. Coe squeaked out the victory thanks to 11 errors from the opponents, which had five more kills than the Kohawks. The Titans made a late run in the set, closing the gap to just three but a strong end to the period gave Coe a 2-0 advantage.
- Illinois Wesleyan dominated the third and fourth periods, claiming 25-22 and 25-19 victories to even the match. The Titans hit .298 in the third and held Coe to only 10 kills in the fourth to regain momentum.
- Despite the quick shift in the match, Coe stayed calm. The Kohawks and Titans traded points to open the decider, with neither team grabbing a real lead. Coe then got back-to-back points on kills from Parson and Lueken, grabbing an 8-6 advantage midway through. The run continued after a timeout for Coe, ending the game with seven of the final 11 points to secure a 15-10 win.
Up next: Coe returns to competition on Tuesday, October 4 when it travels back to Mount Vernon for its second matchup of the year against Cornell. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM.
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