Women's Volleyball Win
3
Winner Millikin MIL-U 21-10,5-3 CCIW
2
Wheaton (IL) WHEIL 13-17,5-3 CCIW
Winner
Millikin MIL-U
21-10,5-3 CCIW
3
Final
2
Wheaton (IL) WHEIL
13-17,5-3 CCIW
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Millikin MIL-U 25 25 17 24 18 (3)
Wheaton (IL) WHEIL 16 17 25 26 16 (2)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Morgan Vogels

Big Blue Women's Volleyball Fends off Thunder Comeback to Advance to CCIW Semifinals

The fifth-seeded Millikin women's volleyball team traveled to Wheaton, Ill. on Tuesday, November 2 for a matchup with fourth-seeded Wheaton College in the first round of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Tournament. In the first meeting of the two squads this season, it took all five sets for a match decision. Wheaton took the first two sets before Millikin stormed back and took the second two, but Wheaton stifled the reverse sweep attempt and claimed the fifth set. This time around, it was exactly the opposite, and Millikin secured the right to a rematch with regular season champion Illinois Wesleyan in the semifinals.

Tori Stuart continued her dominance at the net with 18 kills. Kamryn Flesner added 14, and Lauren Brummel tallied 10. Jessi Kreder was a force at the net, notching six blocks for the Big Blue. Reece Brown tallied 49 assists, and Julianna Vassallo topped the digs leaderboard with 30. Brown and Kailee Itzenhuiser each added 17. 

Millikin started off the first set by jumping out to an early 4-0 lead, starting off the set with a block by Stuart and Sophia Gibbs on a Wheaton attack. The Thunder came within one at 8-7 on a kill by Kaylee Byerly, but the Big Blue lengthened the gap with a 3-0 run with Vassallo serving. Wheaton once again made a comeback effort to pull within two, but a kill by Flesner and a block by Kreder and Brown helped stretch the Big Blue lead back to five at 18-13. Back-to-back attack errors by the Thunder brought the score to 23-15 late, and although a Millikin service error extended the set, a kill by Kreder and a Wheaton attack error gave MU a 25-16 first set victory. 

The trend continued into the second set with the Big Blue jumping out to a 6-1 advantage early. Back-to-back kills by Brummel, followed by back-to-back kills by Flesner highlighted the run. Wheaton brought the game within one point on a kill by Colleen Smith at 8-7, but a 3-0 run capped off by a Kreder kill gave Millikin an 11-7 advantage. A service ace off the hand of Stuart helped give Millikin a 17-11 lead. Wheaton followed up with three straight points of their own, but MU closed out the set on a 5-0 run with Anna Deutschmann serving, closing out the final two points with a service ace and a kill by Flesner for a 25-17 win. 

In the three minute set break, Wheaton went back to the locker room and emerged a different team. The Thunder claimed the early advantage with a 5-0 run to put them up 1-7 on the Big Blue. Wheaton lengthened their lead with two consecutive short runs to take a 3-12 lead. MU strung together points, including a service ace off the hand of Brown and a block by Gibbs and Brummel to pull within six at 9-15, and another short run with Sophie Howell serving closed the gap to four at 13-17. Wheaton used back-to-back kills by Ashton Major and a block by Briley Brogan and Major to close out the 17-25 set win. 

The fourth set followed a similar pattern with Wheaton jumping out to a 1-5 lead. Millikin brought the score within one after a 3-0 run at 7-8. A kill by Gibbs followed by a Stuart service ace gave Millikin their first lead of the set since a block by Brummel and Gibbs had given them a 1-0 advantage at 13-12. Wheaton matched the 3-0 run with a run of their own, ending on an Audrey Gerze service ace, but the Big Blue tallied another 3-0 run to remain in a one point lead at 16-15. After the Thunder pulled ahead, Millikin evened the score with kills by Flesner and Stuart at 19 all. The Big Blue took a 22-10 advantage on a kill by Stuart, then a 24-22 lead with another Stuart kill. Wheaton rattled off four unanswered points to force a fifth set with the 24-26 set win.

The fifth set started off bleak for the Big Blue with the Thunder taking an early five point lead. A block by Caroline Capps and Naomi Bunker gave Wheaton a six point lead at 3-9. Itzenhuiser served up four points in a row for Millikin, and two huge blocks by Stuart and Kreder gave the Big Blue life as they trailed by just one at 8-9. A block by Kreder and Brown sided out, then a Thunder attacking error tied the set at 10 apiece. Wheaton regained the lead with two straight points to force set point at 12-14. A kill by Flesner kept the Big Blue alive, and a block by Kreder and Brummel tied the set at 14. A Millikin error put Wheaton back in the lead, but a forceful kill by Kreder shifted the momentum back to Millikin. After trading points, a kill by Kreder and a Wheaton mistake solidified the 18-16 set victory for the Big Blue. 

With the win, Millikin advances to the CCIW Tournament semifinals and will face the top-seeded Titans of Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington, Ill. on Thursday, November 4 at 7:00 PM. On the other side of the bracket, #6 North Park defeated #3 Elmhurst in the first round and will face #2 Carthage in a second round matchup on Thursday. 
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