From University of Chicago Athletics
The University of Chicago volleyball team went 1-1 on Friday night to kick off Aurora University's Jim Coleman Memorial Tournament.
The No. 15-ranked Maroons ran their record to 20-6.
UChicago 3, Dubuque 1 (25-17, 16-25, 25-22, 25-21)
The Maroons got off to a good start with a 7-2 lead in the first set, thanks in part to five early attack errors by the Spartans (26-4 record). UChicago never trailed and scored seven of the last eight points to grab the set, 25-17. Dubuque struggled to execute, hitting only .022 in the set.
The script flipped in the second set as the Maroons couldn't find their offensive rhythm en route to a .045 hitting percentage. Dubuque closed on a 9-1 run to even up the match, 25-16.
A back-and-forth third set saw the two sides tied up at 22-22. However, UChicago came up clutch as junior outside hitter Audrey Scrafford's kill made it 25-22.
In the fourth set, the Maroons hit .306 as a team and leapt out to a 9-1 lead from the onset. They cruised from there to end the match, 25-21.
Junior rightside hitter Sarah Muisenga and sophomore outside hitter Anabella Pinton led the attack with 15 kills each. Scrafford was next in the kills category with 10. Five different Maroons reached double figures in digs, led by sophomore libero Anne Marie Stifter with 34. Muisenga tallied 17 digs, while senior outside hitter Frances McDonald and freshman setter Emma Griffith posted 14 and 13, respectively. Griffith also handed out 38 assists while running the offense. Freshman defensive specialist Katherine Wilson put up 11 digs.
Aurora 3, UChicago 0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-19)
In the nightcap, the host Spartans (23-6 record) were in control throughout and only trailed once in the three-set match. UChicago was held to a .180 hitting percentage compared to .246 by Aurora.
Scrafford was the top performer on the attack and accounted for nearly half of the team's kills. She scored 16 kills and hit .310 from the outside. Pinton tallied eight kills as well.
Griffith ended with 28 assists and nine digs. Stifter was the leader in digs once again with 15. Wilson added 10 digs defensively.