Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 GRINNELL, Iowa – Grinnell College's volleyball team opened the ACM (Associated Colleges of the Midwest) Invitational in a strong way Saturday afternoon, beating both Knox College and Lake Forest College in four sets at Darby Gymnasium.
Grinnell has already surpassed last season's win total while improving to 4-7. The win over Lake Forest snapped a four-match losing string to the Foresters, dating back to the 2010 season.
The Pioneers defeated Knox 28-30, 25-14, 25-15 and 25-17.
Natalie Duncombe '15 had 10 kills, while
Margaret Giles '18 dished out 31 assists for Grinnell. The Pioneers recorded an incredible 16 ace serves, with four by
Sydney McClendon '16 and three each from Giles,
Sydney Vrecenar '18 and
Evelyn Weidman '17.
Lindsay Fujimoto '15 and McClendon tallied 15 and 11 digs, respectively.
Rebecca Rasmussen '16 had six total blocks, while
Claire Weidman '15 and Duncombe had four each.
After losing the first set, Grinnell led the second just 6-5 before going on a 12-3 run to pull away. Vrecenar served four points during the run and Fujimoto three.
The Pioneers had a big run in the third set, too, turning a 7-6 deficit into a 20-11 lead as Giles and
Evelyn Weidman each served four points. In the fourth set, the Pioneers bolted out to a 12-3 lead and never looked back.
Grinnell then topped Lake Forest 25-18, 23-25, 25-16 and 25-21.
Claire Weidman pounded down 12 kills, while Duncombe and
Evelyn Weidman had nine each.
Evelyn Weidman hit .500 for the match and Duncombe hit .308.
Giles distributed 29 assists, while she and McClendon had two aces each.
Claire Weidman and Fujimoto also had 15 digs apiece.
Giles and Duncombe had four blocks each.
Grinnell rallied from an 18-17 deficit in the first set by scoring the final eight points. Giles served five of those.
After losing the second set, Grinnell turned a 5-4 lead in the third to an 18-9 advantage en route to victory. The fourth set was tied at 19-all when Grinnell went on a key three-point run, which was aided by kills from Duncombe and
Claire Weidman. Lake Forest never got closer than two after that as Grinnell pulled out the win.
The tourney continues Sunday, as the Pioneers entertain Carleton College at 11 a.m. and Macalester College at 1 p.m.
