JACKSONVILLE, Illinois — The Ripon volleyball program dropped a 3-0 decision to Illinois College on Saturday afternoon inside Sherman Gymnasium.
 
Illinois College (9-8, 2-0 MWC) took the opening frame over Ripon (6-11, 0-2 MWC) and never looked back en route to set wins of 25-20, 25-14 and 25-16.
 
Ripon only had one lead in the first set, but ties were abundant in the early stages. IC pulled ahead with a 5-0 run to lead 17-11, putting the first set out of reach as Ripon would not get closer than four in the opening stanza.
 
The Lady Blues kept the pressure on in the second set, scoring the first six points and leading 11-2 in the early going. Ripon did not take a lead in the second set, and Illinois College took the second frame 25-14 to hold a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
 
In the third set, the Red Hawks took the lead on five different occasions, with the latest lead coming at 6-4 before IC scored six of the next seven points to take the lead for good. Though Ripon trailed by just one at 12-11, the Lady Blues put the match away with a 6-0 scoring spurt to lead 18-11 and cruise to a match victory.
 
Offensively, both Lydia Ellis – who hit at least .300 for the seventh time this season – and Paris Croker had 7 kills, while Emily Braun had 20 assists – bringing her weekend total to 61 after a 41-assist performance on Friday. Sam Thrasher led the charge defensively with 11 digs.
 
As a team, Ripon had 29 kills to IC's 46. The Lady Blues also held advantages in aces (8-2), blocks (3-2), assists (41-28) and digs (43-31).
 
Ripon has a quick turnaround, heading to De Pere on Tuesday (October 3) for two matches. The Red Hawks take on Marian at 6 p.m. before facing host St. Norbert at 8 p.m.
 
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