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Nicole Mlynski
Cory Hall
2
Grinnell GC 9-12,3-1 Midwest
3
Winner Illinois Col. IC 9-14,4-0 Midwest
Grinnell GC
9-12,3-1 Midwest
2
Final
3
Illinois Col. IC
9-14,4-0 Midwest
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Grinnell GC 25 19 25 25 15 (2)
Illinois Col. IC 18 25 22 27 17 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Ted Schultz

Grinnell drops 5-set thriller to Lady Blues in battle of volleyball teams unbeaten in MWC play

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - In a match pitting two of the three teams unbeaten in Midwest Conference play, Tuesday night's volleyball battle between Grinnell College and Illinois College was bound to be a barn-burner.

That's exactly how it played out, as Grinnell won the first and third sets before the Lady Blues rallied for wins in sets four and five for a victory in a 2 hour, 20 minute marathon. Grinnell's set victories were 25-18 and 25-22, with the Lady Blues earning a 25-19 decision in between. Illinois College followed with a 27-25 win in the fourth set and outlasted the Pioneers 17-15 in the fifth.

Grinnell (3-1 MWC, 9-12 overall) posted a season-high eight blocks and hit .229 for the match while holding Illinois College (4-0 MWC, 9-14 overall) to a .172 efficiency.

Grinnell's Hayley Taka '26 and Nicole Mlynski '26 each had career-highs for solo blocks with three and two, respectively. Kylie-Ann Smith '27 tied a career-high with 44 assists while double-digit kills were delivered by Keira Sullivan '27 (18), Millie Leonard '27 (15) and Taka (11). Sullivan's total was a career-best. Leonard and Smith each had two ace serves, Gracie Lim '28 had 17 digs and Gabby Choy '26 contributed 10 digs.

Grinnell led 11-10 midway through the first set before opening things up by scoring four of the next five points, with Taka and Leonard tallying kills and Emilee Appel '29 an ace serve. The Pioneers were later ahead 21-18 and then finished off the set with four consecutive points, with Snell recording a kill in that span and Taka and Leonard combining on a block.

After losing the second set, Grinnell opened the third by scoring the first six points. The Lady Blues inched back into contention and grabbed a 21-20 lead late in the set. Grinnell then stepped up, going on a three-point run that included a kill from Leonard. The hosts stopped the Pioneers' run with a point to close within 23-22 before a Lady Blue service error and ace by Taka provided Grinnell with the victory.

Illinois College eked out the fourth-set victory to set the table for an exciting finish. The teams battled back and forth, with Grinnell grabbing a 13-12 lead on Sullivan's kill. The hosts scored two in a row to move within match point, but a service error tied it 14-all. 

Illinois College again got to set point, but Grinnell halted momentum with a Taka kill to tie things at 15-all. However, the Lady Blues reeled off two points in a row to secure the victory.

Grinnell steps out of league play Thursday when it hosts Coe College at 6 p.m. in Darby Gymnasium. On Saturday, the Pioneers entertain MWC foe Ripon College at 1 p.m.
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