MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – Grinnell College's volleyball team wrapped up the Cornell College Invite with a pair of tough losses Saturday.
The Pioneers won their first set of the day, a 25-21 decision over Augustana College, but the Vikings followed with victories of 25-19, 25-20 and 25-16. After that, the Pioneers dropped a 25-19, 25-21, 25-12 decision to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
Hannah Taylor '21 and
Emma Willhardt '19 pounded the ball with force against Augustana, with Taylor accumulating 20 kills and Willhardt 10 to go along with a .308 hitting efficiency. Julia Roth '22 was credited with 40 assists and
Sidney Litke '19 served up three aces.
Willhardt had four total blocks and five Pioneers were in double-digit digs, with All-Tournament Team seletion
Madison Smith '20 leading the way with 23.
Julia Welch '22, Roth, Lowrey and Litke added 11 each.
Grinnell led the first set 11-10 before separating itself from the Vikings with a 5-2 run. Willhardt and Taylor each had two kills in that span. The Pioneers later stretched their lead to 20-14 before Augustana came back by slicing the gap to three on a few occasions. But Grinnell finished it off in style, as Taylor's kill on Roth's assist provided the set-winning point.
The Pioneers got out to a 3-1 lead in the second set before Augustana rallied for the win. Grinnell also led the third set by three a few times midway through, including 15-12 on an attack error by Augustana. But again the Vikings rallied to win. The Vikings continued that momentum to win the fourth set.
In the match with UW-River Falls, Taylor had 14 kills, Roth 28 assists and Smith 25 digs. Welch added 18 digs and Lowrey 13 to go along with two ace serves. The Pioneers were within 19-17 in the first set after Lowrey's kill before UW-River Falls pulled away for the win.
The second set was tight, as well, and Grinnell held a handful of leads including 19-18 after a kill by
Sophia Carbajal '21. UW-River Falls followed with a crucial three-point run. After Grinnell came within 21-20, the winners scored four of the next five points. UW-River Falls used a 10-1 run in the third set to pull away from a 6-4 lead on its way to earning the win.
Grinnell, 9-9 on the season, travels to Oskaloosa Wednesday to face William Penn University in a 7:30 p.m. contest.