Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton Thunder volleyball team hosted No. 15 ranked Calvin University on Tuesday night in King Arena. The Knights defeated the Thunder, 3-0. Calvin rallied to win the first set 27-25. The guests closed out the match with a 25-21 win in the second set and a 25-19 victory in the third set.
Katherine Adkison had a team-high 10 kills,
Mary Patrick added eight kills and
Chelsea Poskocil tallied seven.
Karalyn Osborne distributed 18 assists and
Adasyn Konopka added 10 assists. Poskocil and
Sarah Sanderson each had eight digs to lead the Thunder. Osborne and Poskocil each had two service aces.
Wheaton jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first set. Calvin rallied with a 5-1 run to cut Wheaton's lead in the opening set to 9-7. However, the Thunder responded with a 6-1 run with the final two points coming on consecutive kills by Adkison as Wheaton's lead increased to 15-8. The Knights battled back to tie the set for the first time at 17-17. The opening set was tied at 20-20 with three-consecutive points at 23-20. Adkison and Patrick each had two kills apiece as Wheaton rallied to tie the set at 24-24. The Knights closed out the set with a 3-1 run to win 27-25. Adkison had six of her 10 kills in the first set, and Osborne added eight assists.
Wheaton again jumped out to a lead in the second set as the Thunder led 10-5. The Knights responded with a 10-3 run as the guests gained a 15-13 lead. A kill by Patrick tied the set at 19-19. However, the guests responded with a 6-2 run to close out the set in the 25-21 victory. Patrick had four kills in the set to lead the Thunder.
Calvin never trailed in the decisive third set, winning by a score of 25-19. Poskocil and
Mary Hamann each had three kills in the final set to lead the Thunder.
Tonight's match was the start of a busy week for the Thunder. Wheaton hosts the Marilyn Scribner Invitational this Friday and Saturday in King Arena. The tournament starts on Saturday as Wheaton hosts Central (Iowa) at 4:00 p.m., followed by a Thunder match against Concordia-Chicago at 6:30 p.m. In Saturday's second day of the tournament, Wheaton faces Saint Mary's (Ind.) at 10:00 a.m. and the Thunder host Alma College at 3:00 p.m.
