Decatur, Ill. - The Albion Women's Volleyball team split their matches on day 2 of the Big Blue Classic, falling 1-3 (25-23, 15-25, 23-25, 13-25) to DePauw and won 3-1(25-21, 18-25, 25-22, 25-18) to Millikin. The Brits return to action on Friday October 16th as they host the Scots of Alma at 6:30 PM.
Carly Frank led the team with 18 kills, while
Bri Whitfield and
Carson Howard added 16 a piece.
Paige Williamson led the defense with 29 digs and four aces.
Jillian Gibbs added in eight blocks.
Molly Edmunds led the team with 38 assists while
Joelle Boeskool added 34.
Game 1: Albion vs Depauw 1-3
Set 1 | Albion 25, DePauw 23
The opening set would start with both teams trading points, as the score would be tied at 3-3 before the Brits began to find their rhythm offensively. Kills by Cameron Smith and Carly Frank would help Albion take an early advantage, while a block by Carson Howard and Jillian Gibbs would help the Brits keep pace with the Tigers. The teams would continue to battle through the middle of the set, trading points and tying the score at 8-8. DePauw would look to create separation, but kills by Bri Whitfield and an attack error by the Tigers would help Albion move ahead 15-11. The Brits would continue to apply pressure with kills from Whitfield and Frank, along with key defensive plays, to maintain their lead. DePauw would make a late push to close the gap, but Albion would hold on down the stretch, with Margaret Jones recording the set-sealing kill to give the Brits a 25-23 win. Albion would hit an impressive .452 in the opening set with just one hitting error.
Set 2 | DePauw 25, Albion 15
The Tigers would respond in the second set, looking to even the match after dropping the opener. The teams would trade points early, with the score tied at 1-1 before DePauw began to build momentum. The Brits would continue to battle behind kills from Jones, Whitfield and Frank, but the Tigers would use a strong offensive stretch to take control of the set. DePauw would build a lead in the middle of the set, taking advantage of attacking opportunities and keeping the Albion offense from finding consistency. The Brits would attempt to close the gap with kills from Smith and Whitfield, but the Tigers would maintain their advantage and finish the set on top, 25-15, to even the match at one set apiece. Albion would record eight kills in the set while committing seven hitting errors, finishing with a .031 hitting percentage.
Set 3 | DePauw 25, Albion 23
With the match tied at one set apiece, both teams would look to gain the advantage in the third. Albion would continue to compete offensively, with Whitfield, Jones and Frank providing kills to keep the Brits within striking distance. The teams would trade points throughout the set, as Albion looked to regain the momentum following DePauw's second-set victory. The Brits would find success at the net and continue to put pressure on the Tigers, recording 15 kills in the set. However, DePauw would answer with an efficient offensive performance of its own, limiting mistakes and capitalizing on opportunities to pull ahead late. Albion would continue to battle down the stretch, but the Tigers would hold on to take the set 25-23 and move within one set of the match victory. The Brits would hit .294 in the third set.
Set 4 | DePauw 25, Albion 13
Looking to extend the match, the Brits would come out hoping to regain the momentum, but DePauw would establish control early in the fourth set. The Tigers would use a combination of kills and blocks to build an advantage, while Albion struggled to find consistency on the attack. The Brits would look to spark their offense behind kills from Whitfield, Jones and Carson Howard, but DePauw would continue to put points on the board and widen the gap. Albion would record nine kills in the set, but 10 hitting errors would make it difficult to keep pace with the Tigers. DePauw would close out the set 25-13 to secure the 3-1 match victory. Albion would finish the final set with a -.029 hitting percentage.
Game 2: Albion vs Millikin
Set 1 | Albion 25, Millikin 21
The opening set would start with both teams trading points, as the score would be tied at 6-6 early in the set. The Brits would then use kills by Jillian Gibbs and Carson Howard to take an 8-6 lead before Millikin responded to even the score at 8-8. Albion would regain control with kills from Margaret Jones and Carly Frank, along with a block by Frank and Jones, to take a 12-9 advantage. The teams would continue to trade points, with the Brits maintaining their lead behind kills from Frank and Gibbs. Albion would extend its advantage to 19-13 following a service ace by Frank, putting the Big Blue in a difficult position late in the set. Millikin would attempt to rally, cutting the deficit to three at 24-21, but an attack error would give the Brits the final point and secure a 25-21 win. Albion would hit an impressive .379 in the opening set with 14 kills and just three hitting errors.
Set 2 | Millikin 25, Albion 18
Millikin would respond in the second set, opening with a 5-0 run behind a pair of kills by Kyra Carothers, a block and a service ace. The Brits would look to get their offense going, with kills by Frank and Jones helping Albion get on the scoreboard, but the Big Blue would continue to apply pressure and build an early advantage. Millikin would extend its lead to 13-5, forcing Albion to battle back from a significant deficit. The Brits would find some momentum through kills by Whitfield and Howard, along with points from Millikin errors, but the Big Blue would maintain control throughout the set. Albion would attempt to close the gap late, with kills from Cameron Smith and Gibbs, but Millikin's offense would prove difficult to slow down. The Big Blue would close out the set 25-18 to even the match at one set apiece. Millikin would record 15 kills and hit .429 in the set, while Albion would finish with 10 kills and a .100 hitting percentage.
Set 3 | Albion 25, Millikin 22
With the match tied at one set apiece, both teams would look to regain the advantage in the third set. The Brits would find themselves in a back-and-forth battle early, with Millikin using kills from Carothers and Elle Richards to keep pace with Albion. The teams would trade points through the opening half of the set, with the score remaining close as both offenses looked to find consistency. Albion would begin to create separation behind kills from Jones, Gibbs and Frank, along with a service ace from Frank, to build a 19-13 lead. Millikin would respond with a late push, taking advantage of Albion errors and recording key kills to cut the deficit to 20-18. The Brits would continue to fight, with a block by Gibbs and Frank helping maintain their advantage before Millikin pulled within one at 22-21. Albion would answer with a crucial service ace from Paige Williamson and kills by Jones to close out the set 25-22 and take a 2-1 lead in the match. The Brits would record 12 kills and 11 total blocks in the set, with six blocks from Gibbs helping anchor the defense.
Set 4 | Albion 25, Millikin 18
Looking to close out the match, the Brits would face another competitive start in the fourth set, with the teams trading points through an early 5-5 tie. Albion would begin to take control behind its defense at the net, as blocks by Gibbs, Jones and Cameron Smith helped disrupt the Millikin offense. The Brits would use the momentum to build a 10-5 advantage, forcing the Big Blue to battle back. Millikin would continue to fight, but Albion would maintain its lead with kills from Frank and Whitfield and additional points at the net. The Brits would extend their advantage to 14-10 following back-to-back kills by Frank before continuing to capitalize on Millikin errors. Albion would maintain control down the stretch, with its defense limiting the Big Blue's offensive opportunities and helping the Brits keep a comfortable lead. The Brits would close out the set 25-18 to secure the 3-1 victory. Albion would finish the match with 11 total blocks and nine service aces, improving to 16-3 overall.
News and Notes:
- With 11 blocks vs Millikin that is a new season high
- Hitting a .339, DePauw had the best hitting percentage against the Brits this season
- Jillian Gibbs set a career high six blocks and seven kills vs Millikin
- Ava Wilcox tied her season high of three aces vs Millikin
- Carson Howard tied her season high of three blocks vs Millikin
- Carly Frank set a season high five blocks vs Millikin
Up Next:
The Brits continue conference play on Friday October 16th at 6:30PM as they host the Scots of Alma
Follow the Brits:
For the latest information on Briton Volleyball, make sure to check out
GoBrits.com. You can also find the team on social media including
Facebook,
Twitter, and
Instagram.
