Megan Creen, a freshman outside hitter, led the Scots with an attacking percentage of .600. Senior outside hitter Rachel Leffelman was second with .333. On the defensive side of the ball, senior libero Crystal Myers led the Scots with 24 total digs. Senior outside hitter Amanda Boonstra also performed well during the three matches with 11 defensive digs. As a team, the Fighting Scots accumulated nine total blocks.

     In the next game against St. Norbert College, held on Sept. 27, in DePere, Wis., the women fell short 0-3. The women played three close games, losing by a slim margin of three points or less. Junior Alexis Keller led the Scots with an average of .500, with senior Tanesha Hughes not too far behind at .419 as she killed 14 out of 31 balls during the three matches.

     Senior middle hitter Samantha Robinson connected on 8 of her 25 total kill attempts, bringing her to an average of .160. The Scots came together as a team and blocked a total of 13 balls defending the court.

     Coach Shimmin emphasizes the importance of playing hard as a team to bring home wins. "Our focus has been to eliminate mistakes and play with confidence," Shimmin reported.

     On Wednesday, Sept. 24, the JV volleyball team lost a close game to Carol Sandburg Community College (3-1), which was held in Galesburg, Ill.

     On Wednesday, Oct. 1, in the Huff Athletic Center, against Grinnell College, the women defeated Grinnell 3-1.

     In that two hour long battle, the Fighting Scots won the first match 25-22, but fell short during the second match 25-21. The women would retaliate and come out on top as they soared passed Grinnell in matches three and four (25-17 and 25-22).

     "The match was unusually slow paced. There was more down time between rallies than normal because of the constant discussion between officials and Grinnell’s coach. I think this played into the hands of Grinnell, who was able to keep the sets close," said Shimmin.

     Leffelman had an outstanding performance again as she tore apart Grinnell with a .571 percentage. Boonstra recorded six kills out of 14 total attempts, landing her with a .429 average. Kills were a big part of the Scots’ win, as Robinson and sophomore outside hitter Alyson Schroeter led the women with 12 kills a piece. Robinson tallied up an average of .400, while Schroeter placed not too far behind with .357. Hughes also connected on nine total kills for the Scots.

     The Scots had another grand defensive performance as the women reached 92 total defensive digs. Myers led the team with 28 digs and sophomore setter Alisha Shadid recorded 19 to place second for the team.

     "I was very pleased with Alisha Shadid’s defense against Grinnell. This is an area of her game she has been trying to improve. Alyson Schroeter has made a statement with her aggressive hard hits from the outside in the past three conference matches. Crystal Myers continues to be a great leader for our team. Our team relies on her ball control and communication through the match," stated Shimmin.

     The women’s overall team record this year sits at 9-7 with a Midwest Conference record of 3-2. The JV lineup will compete in a home match against St. Ambrose University JV on Monday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m.

     The women will have to buckle down during practice to ensure a victory when they host Illinois College on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 7p.m.

     "We will be working on timing with setters and hitters, as well as defending balls that are attacked behind the opponent’s setter. To beat Illinois College, we will need to have excellent ball control and minimize our errors," Shimmin remarked.

     "Our goal is to be second going into the conference tournament, as it would take two or more teams beating St. Norbert for us to be ranked first," added Shimmin.