JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Grinnell College volleyball team kicked off 2018 in a big way Friday, sweeping Iowa Wesleyan University and Anderson University at the Illinois College Tournament.
 
The Pioneers won by scores of 25-20, 25-16 and 25-19 against Iowa Wesleyan and 25-16, 25-15, 25-17 against Anderson.
 
The Pioneers had standouts at the net against Iowa Wesleyan, including Kaylin Kuhn '21, Sophia Carbajal '21 and Emma Willhardt '19. Kuhn delivered a match-high 17 kills and hit .308, while Carbajal had seven kills and accumulated a sizzling .538 hitting efficiency. Willhardt added nine kills while hitting .333.
 
Julianna Roth '22 dished out 31 assists in her collegiate debut, Kuhn had three aces and Sidney Litke '19 a pair. Madison Smith '20 and Payton Lowrey '22 each delivered double-digit dig numbers with 18 and 11, respectively, while Willhardt added four total blocks and Hannah Taylor '21 a pair.
 
Grinnell trailed the opening set 18-17 before reeling off four consecutive points with the aid of Lowrey's service run. Another big service run, a seven-pointer by Kuhn, helped Grinnell pull away in the second set after being tied at 4-all. Smith's four-point service run late in the third set helped the Pioneers get some separation after leading 17-16.

In the win over Anderson, Kuhn had 10 kills, Willhardt seven and Carbajal six. Carbajal hit an incredible .750 in the match. Roth tallied 22 assists, while the Pioneers tallied 12 aces as a team. That figure ranks eighth in program history for a three-set match. Kuhn and Smith had four aces apiece, while Smith added 15 digs and Lowrey 11. Carbajal had six total blocks.
 
The tourney continues on Saturday with two more matches for the Pioneers.