Harper Falls on the Road to Joliet

Alex Messner recorded a double-double for the Hawks. (Jim Cummins)

JOLIET, Ill. – The Harper College volleyball team fought hard but fell in four sets to N4C foe Joliet Junior College (18-25, 24-26, 25-14, 22-25) on Tuesday evening.

"We have lots of talent, sophomores and the ability," said head coach Bob Vilsoet. "We must become a more consistent team with far fewer mistakes that cost us points. Joliet did play very well tonight. They were well-prepared."

Alex Messner (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd) recorded her first double-double of the season for the Hawks (6-6, 1-2 N4C), tallying team highs with 13 kills and 18 digs in the match while also recording three service aces. Melina Villaber (Chicago, Ill./Taft) and Veronica Dabrowski (Mount Prospect, Ill./Rolling Meadows) each added eight kills for Harper.

Rebekah Hischke (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee Crown) had her serve working, going 22-for-22 with a team-high four aces. Lindsey Murphy (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake South) handed out a season-high 36 assists.

"This is not as good of a start as we are normally accustomed to," Vilsoet said. "We have work to do, and that's the fun part for me. We will improve, and that improvement is fun to see, very rewarding and will for sure happen with this team."

This weekend, the Hawks travel to Rochester, Minnesota for the Rochester Community and Technical College Volleyball Invitational, site of this year's NJCAA DIII Volleyball National Championship. Harper plays two matches on Friday and two on Saturday. For tournament information, click here.