Full Results

PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College volleyball team made played some excellent volleyball Friday and Saturday at the Harper Invitational, going a perfect 4-0 against quality competition.  

Harper defeated Black Hawk College-Moline on Friday afternoon and NJCAA Div. I John A. Logan College on Friday night. On Saturday afternoon, the eighth-ranked Hawks (16-5) defeated No. 2 Rochester Community and Technical College in a five-set thriller and knocked off a strong South Suburban College team to close out the weekend.

Harper vs. Black Hawk College-Moline

The Hawks played well on their way to a straight-set victory over the Braves (25-18, 25-23, 25-18). Setter Lindsey Murphy (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake South) notched a double-double with 11 digs and 20 assists. Outside hitter Lauren Sokolowski (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows) put down a team-high 11 kills, and Kim Butler (Palatine, Ill/Palatine) put down 10 kills and added three blocks.

"This was a well-played match for us. The whole match was very encouraging," said Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet. "Black Hawks is a good team, and we did a nice job focusing during this match."

Harper vs. John A. Logan College

Despite falling into an early 2-0 hole, the Hawks responded by winning the final three games over the Volunteers to win the match. Sokolowski played an excellent match, posting a double-double with a season-high 18 kills (41-of-43 hitting) and 15 digs.

Jillian Hoffman (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) (11 digs, 16 assists) and Murphy (16 digs, 22 assists) each logged double-doubles as well. Alyssia Dugo (Algonquin, Ill. /Jacobs) and Meghan Chartier (Inverness, Ill./Buffalo Grove) paced the defense with 19 digs apiece. Butler also came up big for the Hawks again with seven blocks and eight kills.

Harper vs. No. 2 Rochester Community and Technical College

In an exciting battle between two top-10 teams, Harper prevailed in a very competitive match over the Yellow Jackets (25-20, 25-23, 19-25, 22-25, 15-13). The Hawks won the first two sets, but Rochester responded to force a fifth and deciding set.

Harper jumped out to a 10-5 lead in that final set, but Rochester cut the lead to 13-12. The Hawks took two of the final three points for a big win. Daniele Sortino (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Elk Grove) played her best match of the year, hitting 28-of-32 with a team-best 15 kills. Butler continued her strong play with 13 kills (30-of-32 hitting) and four blocks.

Murphy notched her third double-double of the invite with 16 digs and 19 assists, and Hoffman recorded a second consecutive one as well with 12 digs and 21 assists. Chartier (25 digs) and Dugo (23 digs) combined for half of the team's 96 digs in the match.

"This was a very competitive, fun, and entertaining match," Vilsoet said.

Harper vs. South Suburban College

Coming off the emotional five-set match against Rochester, Harper dropped their first set to the Bulldogs. The Hawks regained their composure and took the next three sets for a four-set victory (27-29, 25-11, 25-10,25-19).

Sokolowski led the offense with 13 kills and tallied 12 digs for a double-double. Middle hitter Sarah Berggren (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) went 17-of-18 hitting with seven kills in the match while Adriana Loiacono (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) was 15-of-17 with six kills. Murphy (12 digs, 26 assists) extended her double-double streak to four matches while going 26-of-27 serving with two aces.

Chartier and Butler Named to All-Tournament Team

Libero Meghan Chartier (Inverness, Ill./Buffalo Grove) and middle hitter Kim Butler (Palatine, Ill/Palatine) both earned spots on the Harper Volleyball Invitational All-Tournament Team. Chartier led Harper defensively with 70 digs in the four matches and was also 39-of-40 serving. Butler racked up 39 kills and 18.5 blocks in four matches.

Up Next

Harper takes the court on Tuesday evening against N4C opponent Triton College (1-11, 1-4 N4C). First serve is slated for 6 PM.