On Friday evening the Lincoln College Volleyball Team started the 2009 season on a winning note with a three sets to none victory over the St. Ambrose JV team.  The visiting Lady Lynx (1-0) took the first two sets by scores of 25-17 and 25-16.  St. Ambrose came alive in set three to take an early 6-1 lead, but LC stormed back to tie the score at 10 then held on for a 25-23 win to take the match. 

LC Stats:

Melanie Herbeck 10 set assists, 6 points
Gretchen Rieger   7 kills, 6 digs, 5 points
Lara Dawson        7 kills, 8 points, 3 blocks
Chelsea Barr        9 digs, 9 points
Abbie Hare          4 kills, 2 blocks
Megan Schaefer   4 kills, 4 digs
Samantha Murphy  9 set assists, 5 points

Lincoln College Volleyball Team earned their first tournament championship of the season by winning the 4th annual Black Hawk College Volleyball tournament. Lincoln finished the tournament with a 4-1 record.  During pool play the Lady Lynx (5-1) defeated Elgin Community College and Wabaunsee College before suffering their first defeat of the season at the hands of tournament hosts Black Hawk College.  This placed LC second in their pool and led to a semi-final match up with Sauk Valley Community College.  LC defeated Sauk 25-19, 25-19 to advance to the championship match.  In that match they again faced the host team.  This time Lincoln was ready for the Lady Braves and took the match in two sets by scores of 25-18, 25-9.  LC freshman middle hitter Abby Hare was named MVP of the tournament.

LC Tournament Totals:

Melanie Herbeck  40 set assists, 20 points, 3 aces
Gretchen Rieger   31 kills, 20 digs, 28 points
Abbie Hare          14 kills, 17 blocks
Samantha Murphy 32 set assists, 15 points
Lara Dawson        17 kills, 29 points, 7 blocks
Chelsea Barr        28 digs, 16 points
Natalia Florczyk   10 kills, 9 points
Emily Fox            13 set assists, 11 points

On Tuesday the Lincoln College Volleyball team traveled to East Peoria to take on nationally ranked Illinois Central College.  The Lady Lynx (5-2) were able to hang with the number 2 team in the nation for most of the evening, but in the end ICC took the match in three sets by scores of 25-20, 25-16, and 25-20.

LC Totals:

Melanie Herbeck  4 set assists, 3 points
Gretchen Rieger   4 kills, 6 digs, 8 points
Lara Dawson        2 kills, 5 points, 1 block
Chelsea Barr        6 digs, 4 points

LC Coach Mark Tippett: This match gave us the opportunity to see how we compare to one of the best teams not only in our region, but in the nation.  Our players did not back down from the challenge, and, overall, we played a solid match. I saw definite signs that indicate we are not far away from being able to compete on their level. The difference in the match was our inability to consistently pass their serves.  When it came time to volley back and forth, we held our own and were able to earn points throughout the match.  We just gave up too many aces and free balls off serve to get any momentum together.  This was a great learning experience for our team that I am sure will benefit us down the road.

Lincoln College opens up a 5 match home stretch in their schedule on Thursday evening when they will host Robert Morris College in a 6:00 pm match.

On Thursday evening the Lincoln College Volleyball team (5-3) was defeated by Robert Morris College of Springfield in straight sets. The scores were 25-23, 25-16, and 25-21.

LC Stats:

Melanie Herbeck 16 set assists, 4 points
Gretchen Rieger 10 kills, 11 digs, 4 points
Lara Dawson 5 kills, 3 blocks
Chelsea Barr 10 digs, 3 points

LC Coach Mark Tippett: Aside from the passing breakdown that led to the lopsided score in set two, we played them fairly evenly all night. Sets one and three were back and forth battles that saw several lead changes, and, unfortunately for us, they were able to grab the lead at the right time and win in three sets. Both teams volleyed the ball well, but RMC was a little sharper defensively. On several occasion we hit the ball well only to see them scramble to keep the rally going until we made an error.

Lincoln College begins their conference schedule next week with a home match-up against Springfield College of Illinois on Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm

On Wednesday Lincoln College lost to Springfield College in four sets.  The scores were 22-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-23.  LC is now 5-4 on the year.

Melanie Herbeck  16 set assists, 4 points
Gretchen Rieger   10 kills, 6 digs, 7 points
Lara Dawson        8 kills, 6 points
Chelsea Barr        16 digs, 3 points
Abbie Hare            8 kills, 4 blocks
Samantha Murphy  7 set assists, 5 points

On Friday evening the Lincoln College Volleyball team hosted The College of DuPage in the opening match of the Lincoln College Quad.  The Lady Lynx dropped the first set to the visiting Chaparrals 22-25 before coming alive in set two to win 25-20.  LC stayed in command during the next two sets to win the match in four sets.  The scores were 25-15, and 25-17.  The victory lifted the team's record to 6-4.

Melanie Herbeck  15 set assists, 8 points, 2 aces
Gretchen Rieger   9 kills, 15 digs, 9 points
Lara Dawson        15 kills, 3 blocks
Chelsea Barr        15 digs, 7 points
Abbie Hare            7 kills, 4 blocks
Samantha Murphy  9 set assists, 6 points
Emily Fox             7 set assists, 6 points
Natalia Florczyk     4 kills, 6 points

LC Coach Mark Tippett: Tonight it really felt like we worked out a few kinks and eliminated some of the nagging problems that have been frustrating our team lately.  In sets two, three and four we played smart volleyball by committing to our positions on defense and making good decisions on offense.  It was encouraging to see how well this team can perform when we relax a bit and work together. 

Note:  In the evening match, Rend Lake College defeated Florissant Valley Community College in three sets.

On Saturday the Lincoln College volleyball team picked up two victories at home as they continued play in the LC Quadrangular.  The first win came in a hard fought match against Region 24 foe Rend Lake College.  LC held on to a small advantage throughout set one to win 25-23.  In set two the Lady Lynx saw a large lead disappear when the Warriors of Rend Lake made a late charge to win 27-25.  The story almost repeated itself in the third set, as LC saw RLC come back from several points down to tie the score at 24.  This time LC did not surrender the lead and survived to claim a 27-25 win.  There was much less drama in set four as Lincoln jumped out to an early lead and cruised to a 25-12 victory. 

LC Stats:

Melanie Herbeck  19 set assists, 12 points, 
Gretchen Rieger   9 kills, 8 digs, 4 points
Lara Dawson        10 kills, 4 blocks, 9 points
Chelsea Barr        9 digs, 17 points
Abbie Hare            10 kills, 4 blocks
Emily Fox             9 set assists, 2 points
Natalia Florczyk     5 kills, 2 points

LC Coach Mark Tippett:  This turned out to be one of the wildest matches I have seen in a long time.  Both teams played very hard, and, as the scores show, were pretty evenly matched.  I give Rend Lake credit for not giving up when we jumped out to early leads.  The intensity realy turned up when they closed in on us, but I was pleased with the way our players responded to the pressure.  We stayed calm, made adjustments, and found ways to win some very long volleys, which has been trouble for our team lately.  Up until this match it seemed like we found a way to make the mistake that would lose the point any time we got into a long volley situation, but today we broke through.  This win should be a big confidence boost for us. 

Lincoln faced Florissant Valley Community College in their second match of the day.  This time LC was able win in three sets.  FVCC put up a strong fight in set one, but LC stayed focused to win 28-26.  Sets two and three saw LC lead throughout and win by scores of 25-16 and 25-13.  The victory ran the Lady Lynx's record to 8-4 on the year.  

LC Stats:
  
Melanie Herbeck  8 set assists, 4 points
Gretchen Rieger   11 kills, 10 digs, 15 points
Lara Dawson        4 kills, 11 points
Markeshia Williams   4 digs, 4 points
Abbie Hare            4 kills, 6 blocks
Samantha Murphy  9 set assists, 2 points
Emily Fox             9 set assists, 7 points
Natalia Florczyk     5 kills, 4 digs

LC Coach Mark Tippett:  Earning the win in this match capped off a great weekend for our team.  It was clear that we have taken some big steps forward and certainly gained confidence in our ability to play well at home.  We played a sound fundamental match.  Our passing was consistent as was our serving game.  I am very pleased with the direction our team is headed.

Notes:  In other action at the LC Quad, Florissant Valley defeated the College of DuPage in five sets.  CoD then lost another heartbreaker, as they again fell in five sets to Rend Lake College.  Set five of that match, which was a set to 15, wound up as a 23-21 win for RLC.

Lincoln College plays next on Tuesday evening at Lewis & Clark College.

The Lincoln College Volleyball team picked up their first conference victory of the season with a three sets to one win over MWAC foe Lewis & Clark Community College.  The visiting Lady Lynx (9-4) got off to a slow start, dropping set one to the Trailblazers 17-25.  Lincoln righted the ship in set two to even the match.  After letting another late lead slip away, sophomore Kaylah Murphy went to the service line with her team down 21-22.  Murphy served four points in a row to secure the 25-22 victory.  LC carried the momentum over to set three and won it 25-21, then finished the match with a 25-20 win in set four.

LC Stats:

Melanie Herbeck        28 set assists, 4 digs, 5 points
Gretchen Rieger         14 kills, 19 digs, 14 points
Natalia Florczyk                      10 kills, 9 digs
Abbie Hare                  9 kills, 8 blocks
Danielle Stephenson   6 kills, 2 blocks
Chelsea Barr               14 digs, 6 points
Markeshia Williams    12 digs

LC Coach Mark Tippett:  Road victories in our conference are not easy to come by, and our team worked hard to earn this one.  We got off to a very poor start in set one due to a lack of communication and several mental errors.  After making a few adjustments in set two, we started blocking better at the net and became more aggressive with our attack.  Lewis and Clark continued to battle us, but I was pleased with the way we responded to the pressure and held on for the win.

LC is in action again on Thursday evening.  They will host the Millikin JV team in a 7 pm match.

On Thursday, the Lincoln College volleyball team lost a hard-fought, five set match to the visiting Millikin University JV team. MU took command in set one with a 25-11 victory. LC rebounded to win set two 25-18. The Lady Lynx took the momentum from the set two win into set three and cruised to a 25-7 victory. However, the tide turned again in set four as Millikin held on to an early lead throughout the set to win 25-16 and force a deciding set to 15. In that set both teams battled back and forth, but, despite a valiant effort by Lincoln, Millikin took the match with 15-13 victory. Lincoln's record now stands at 9-5.

LC Stats:

Melanie Herbeck 22 set assists, 5 digs, 6 points
Gretchen Rieger 11 kills, 16 digs, 14 points
Natalia Florczyk 5 kills, 2 blocks
Abbie Hare 3 kills, 3 blocks
Danielle Stephenson 3 kills, 2 blocks
Chelsea Barr 11 digs, 10 points
Lara Dawson 4 kills, 2 blocks

LC Coach Mark Tippett: This match was a see-saw battle from beginning to end and a testament to the fact that this game is built for momentum swings. Anyone who witnessed set one would not have given our team much of a chance to win the match, but we completely turned the tables on MU and it seemed as though everything worked for us in sets two and three. Set four showed us that you can't count a team out, no matter how wide your margin of victory was in the previous set. They forced us into a deciding game to 15 which is not a position we have faced very often this year. I was proud of the way our team played in the final set which could have gone either way. This was one of those losses I can't get too upset about because my players gave it everything they had against a solid opponent.

On Saturday Lincoln will travel to Illinois Valley Community College to participate in the IVCC Invitational Tournament.

On Saturday the Lincoln College Volleyball team earned their second tournament championship of the season. LC defeated Division I power John A. Logan Community College in a thrilling 5 set match to win the Illinois Valley Community College Invitational. LC began the day with pool play victories against Joliet Junior College (25-15, 25-14, 15-25, 25-17) and hosts IVCC (25-21, 25-22, 25-19). The wins placed the Lady Lynx first in their pool and set up their championship match with JAL.

In the opening set of the final, Logan jumped out to an early lead behind a very strong offensive attack. LC was on the defensive the whole time and fell 16-25. The Lady Lynx regrouped in set two and were able to contain JAL's hitters well enough to earn a 25-23 win. With their confidence restored, Lincoln used the momentum swing to take command in set three and win it 25-19. Things went sour in set four though as Logan returned to form and defeated LC 14-25. This set up a deciding set to 15 for the championship. The teams traded sideouts all way up to 8-8 at which point Lincoln took an 11-9 lead behind aggressive front row play and strong defensive performances from several tired volleyball players. LC held on to their advantage to win the match and the tournament by a score of 15-11. Lincoln improved their overall record to 12-5. Sophomores Gretchen Rieger, Melanie Herbeck, and Chelsea Barr each earned spots on the All-Tournament team.

LC Tournament Totals:

Melanie Herbeck 70 set assists, 27 points
Gretchen Rieger 41 kills, 13 digs, 20 points
Chelsea Barr 26 digs, 12 points
Lara Dawson 20 kills, 8 blocks
Natalia Florczyk 22 kills, 8 digs
Abbie Hare 11 kills, 17 blocks
Danielle Stephenson 8 kills, 5 blocks
Kaylah Murphy 16 points, 8 digs

LC Coach Mark Tippett: I could not have asked for a more focused effort from my team than the one I got today. I was especially impressed by the way we handled ourselves after JAL came out and kicked our tails in set one of the final. A lot of teams would have given up on themselves after a 9 point loss such as that, but we have learned that in this game it doesn't matter if you lose a set by a lot or a little, the next set will start out 0-0, so there is always hope. Our defense really stepped up in set two which created more opportunities for us to score points off of our serve, which was the big problem in set one. Once we got that win, our confidence level rose and set three was a solid victory. Fatigue may have been a factor in set four because we seemed a step slow in all areas. Once the score got away from us we were able to rest a few players and focus on the final set to 15. In that set our defense and passing stepped up again to force Logan into some long volleys which we were able to push through and win. Our team worked very hard to win this tournament and we all had a lot of fun doing it.

On Tuesday the Lincoln College volleyball team traveled to southern Illinois for a conference match up with Shawnee College.  LC (12-6) lost the match in four sets 21-25, 25-18, 15-25, 15-25.

LC Stats:

Abbie Hare      10 kills, 4 blocks
Natalia Florczyk            9 kills, 4 blocks
Lara Dawson      8 kills, 4 blocks
Gretchen Rieger  7 kills, 10 digs
Melanie Herbeck    25 set assists, 3 points

LC Coach Mark Tippett:  Shawnee was able to keep our defense off balance throughout this match.   Their passing was sharper than ours which gave their setters multiple options to go to on offense.  We played hard and gave it a better effort in the last two sets than the scores would indicate.  Hopefully, we will learn from this loss and use it to make ourselves a more disciplined team.

LC travels to Chicago this weekend to participate in the Harper College Invitational Tournament.

This weekend the Lincoln College volleyball team participated in the first annual Harper College Invitational Tournament. Lincoln was unable to add to it’s collection of tournament championships as they went 2-2 which was not good enough to advance out of pool play. LC recorded victories over Illinois Valley Community College (25-18, 14-25, 15-8) and The College of Lake County (25-19, 14-25, 15-12). The Lady Lynx suffered losses to Highland Community College (18-25, 19-25) and hosts Harper College (9-25, 14-25). LC sophomore middle hitter Lara Dawson was named to the All-Tournament team. Lincoln’s record now stands at 14-8.

Tournament Totals:

Gretchen Rieger 23 kills, 8 digs, 9 points

Natalia Florczyk 20 kills, 7 points

Lara Dawson 15 kills, 6 blocks, 8points

Melanie Herbeck 53 set assists, 11 points

Emily Fox 14 points, 7 digs, 2 kills

Abbie Hare 10 kills, 5 blocks

LC Coach Mark Tippett: We struggled to find any consistency on offense during this tournament. Our passing was shaky at times and this led to our sending way too many free balls to the other side. We have done very well at weekend events up to this point, so maybe we were due for a rough outing. Hopefully we will straighten things out before we host a tri-match at home next weekend.

LC travels to Champaign to take on Parkland College on Wednesday.

On Wednesday evening the Lincoln College Volleyball Team traveled to Champaign to take on Parkland College. Lincoln (14-9) gave the #4 ranked Cobras a run for their money, but in the end LC fell in four sets 18-25, 18-25, 30-28, 15-25.

LC Stats:

CHELSEA BARR 17 digs, 4 points

Melanie Herbeck 9 set assists, 8 digs, 4 kills

Gretchen Rieger 7 kills, 15 digs, 3 points

Lara Dawson 4 kills, 4 blocks, 6 points, 3 aces

Abbie Hare 3 kills, 5 blocks

Emily Fox 8 points, 3 digs

LC Coach Mark Tippett: Our players competed very well against one of the better teams in the country tonight. We were aggressive with our serving and proved we can volley with a strong offensive team. Our front row players blocked well at the net which kept things close during the first three sets. Parkland seemed to have a knack for putting together a three point run at just the right time to get away from us, but overall we played right with them. I was proud of the effort we gave tonight and encouraged by the way we competed.

LC will continue their stretch of road games with a tri match at Carl Sandburg College on Thursday.

The Lincoln College Volleyball Team finished up a stretch of 11 road matches with a split at the Carl Sandburg College Triangular on Thursday. The Lady Lynx (15-10) defeated the Chargers of Carl Sandburg in a wild 5 set match. LC dropped set one 19-25 then rebounded to win set two 25-15. LC could not hold on to the momentum in set three and again lost 19-25. In set four Lincoln fought its way to a 25-23 victory to force a deciding set to 15. In that set CSC jumped out to an early 6-2 lead, but LC stormed from behind to win 15-10.

In the second match of the evening, Lincoln faced Southeastern Community College. SCC took set one 25-15. Lincoln made sets two and three much more competitive, but in the end lost both sets by scores of 25-22 and 25-23.

LC Totals:

Chelsea Barr 19 digs, 19 points

Melanie Herbeck 53 set assists, 5 points

Gretchen Rieger 20 kills, 18 digs, 16 points

Lara Dawson 16 kills, 7 blocks

Abbie Hare 7 kills, 9 blocks

Emily Fox 10 points, 5 digs

Samantha Murphy 4 points 2 digs

Markeshia Williams 9 points 4 digs

LC Coach Mark Tippett: Tonight was a struggle from start to finish. The match against Carl Sandburg was one of our sloppiest matches of the season, but we manged to escape with the victory. It took a very focused effort to dig our way out of the hole we created for ourselves in set 5, but we made the plays when we had to make them in order to get the win. We actually played a better match in the loss to Southeastern. They were an aggressive team with a very solid block and we stepped up our game to match theirs. Sets two and three could have gone either way, so even though we lost the match, I was actually more pleased by the effort in the final two sets than I was by most of our work in the earlier match.

Lincoln returns home this weekend to host a triangular of their own. The visiting teams will be Black Hawk East and Kaskaskia Community College.

The Lincoln College Volleyball Team returned home after a long stretch of road games to take on Black Hawk East and Kaskaskia Community College in triangular matches on Saturday. Lincoln was able to make their homecoming a happy celebration as they won both of their matches. The Lady Lynx started the day with a five set match against BHE (18-4). LC dropped the first set 23-25 then evened the match at one set a piece with a 25-18 victory. Black Hawk East took the momentum back by winning set three 19-25. LC turned the tables on BHE again in set four to win 25-19 and force a deciding set to 15. This was a familiar situation for the Lady Lynx seeing as four of their last seven matches have ended in deciding sets to 15. LC came out on top in all four of those matches. Despite being down 2-6 in the set, LC rallied to keep their streak alive with a 15-12 win.

In the afternoon match, Lincoln faced Kaskaskia Community College (16-7). KCC was coming off a four set victory over Black Hawk East, but Lincoln was able to handle the Blue Angels in three sets 25-19, 25-23, 25-21. Lincoln used consistent serving, a balanced attack, and stingy defense to hold off KCC in three close sets. The win pushed Lincoln College's record to 17-10. LC will continue their home stand on Tuesday evening as they host Danville Area Community College in a 6 pm match.

LC Totals:

Chelsea Barr 32 digs, 17 points, 5 aces

Melanie Herbeck 68 set assists, 14 points

Gretchen Rieger 30 kills, 25 digs, 17 points

Natalia Florczyk 15 kills, 11 points, 5 digs

Lara Dawson 12 kills, 10 blocks

Abbie Hare 9 kills, 3 blocks

Danielle Stephenson 9 kills, 2 blocks

Megan Schaefer 8 digs, 1 kill

Emily Fox 4 points, 2 kills

LC Coach Mark Tippett: We knew going into this tri-match that we would have to be on top of our game to be successful because both of our opponents would be athletic teams that are having great seasons. Black Hawk East had only lost three times this season and their sophomores were fired up to play us beause they had not forgotten losing to us twice last season. I was pleased by the way we handled their aggressivness and responded with a fantastic defensive performance. sets one through four were typical see-saw battles, and set five was exciting from start to finish. We have been finding a way to win those sets to 15 this year which shows how mentally tough our players are and that we have the ability to make plays when the pressure is on.

The KCC match was well-played on both sides of the net. Every volley seemed to last for several trips across the net. We found ways to win a few of them at just the right time to secure the win in each set. I was pleased by the balance we showed on offense and the way we stuck together in tough situations. This victory was a real team effort.

On Tuesday evening the Lincoln college Volleyball team faced off against Danville Area Community College in a Mid West Athletic Conference play. The Lady Lynx were able to defeat the visiting Jaguars in three straight sets. Set one was a close contest, but Lincoln pulled ahead late to secure a 25-21 win. Sets two and three saw LC jump out to early leads then cruise to victory by scores of 25-15 and 25-14. Lincoln is now 2-3 in MWAC play and 18-10 overall.

LC Totals:

Melanie Herbeck 24 set assists, 10 points
Gretchen Rieger 9 kills, 8 digs, 12 points
Abbie Hare 7 kills, 7 blocks
Danielle Stephenson 5 kills, 3 blocks
Chelsea Barr 20 digs
Lara Dawson 7 kills

LC coach Mark Tippett was not able to attend the match.

Assistant Coach Samantha McCoy: We played pretty well overall. We struggled a little in the first game--there were a lot of volley's back and forth. Danville had the lead in the first game and we were neck and neck that whole time. We pulled through with the win in the first game and the girls got it together and had the lead the whole second and third game.

LC is off for Fall Break and will be in action again next Tuesday for a home match against John Wood CC.

On Tuesday the Lincoln College volleyball team was back in action for a home match against John Wood Community College.  Lincoln (19-10) breezed by John Wood in the first two sets, winning by scores of 25-10, and 25-9.  In set three the Trailblazers put up more of a fight, but still fell to the Lady Lynx 25-23.  The win evened Lincoln College's record in the MWAC at 3-3.

LC Stats:

Melanie Herbeck             18 set assists,  2 blocks
Gretchen Rieger              6 kills, 6 digs, 21 points
Natalia Florczyk               7 kills, 4 digs
Abbie Hare                      2 kills, 4 blocks
Lara Dawson                   7 kills, 6 blocks
Megan Schaefer              10 points, 2 digs
Samantha Murphy            6 set assists, 4 points

LC coach Mark Tippett:  We played a very steady match from start to finish.  Our front row players were able to exploit their height advantage effectively and our servers were successful at keeping their offense off balance.  In set three we experimented with a different line-up and things went smoothly most of the way, but John Wood continued to compete and made things interesting at the end.  I was pleased that we were able to hold on for the win and take the match in three sets.

LC hits the road for their last series of away games this season.  On Thursday they head to Decatur to take on the Millikin JV team and will try to avenge the five set loss they took to MU in September.  This will be followed by a two-day trip to play in the St. Louis area.

The Lincoln College Volleyball Team traveled to Decatur for a rematch with the Millikin University JV squad.  In September, Lincoln lost an exciting 5 set match to MU.  However, this time the Lady Lynx were able to defeat the Big Blue in straight sets.  LC dominated the first set to take the momentum with a 25-11 win.  In set two they stayed in control most of the way to win 25-21.  Set three was much more of a battle as Millikin fought back from a 15-20 deficit to tie the score at 22-22.  Lincoln toughened up when they needed to though to earn a 25-23 victory.  The win continues a hot streak for the Lady Lynx who have won their last five matches in a row and moves their record to 20-10.

LC Stats:

Melanie Herbeck             28 set assists,  3 points
Gretchen Rieger              15 kills, 5 digs, 6 points
Chelsea Barr                   10 digs, 8 points, 3 aces
Danielle Stephenson       6 kills, 3 blocks
Natalia Florczyk               4 kills, 4 points
Lara Dawson                   3 kills, 1 block

LC coach Mark Tippett:  Everything seemed to work for us tonight, and, when something didn't go according to plan, it seemed as though another area of our game stepped up to make up for the mistake.  This win was a team effort and an indication of how much our team has improved this year.  When we lost MU in 5 sets back in September, we played a very inconsistant match.  This time we were steady from start to finish and played a much more disciplined game.  I could not be more pleased with the way our team is performing as we move into the final weeks of the season.

LC travels to Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville on Friday and will compete in a triangular match at Florissant Valley CC on Saturday.

10/16/09

10/17/09

The Lincoln College Volleyball Team competed in three matches over the weekend.  LC went 2-1 on their road trip to the St. Louis area.  On Friday, Lincoln met up with Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, IL.  LC suffered their first loss in nearly two weeks as they fell to SWIC in four sets (26-24, 20-25, 20-25, 18-25).  On Saturday, the Lady Lynx bounced back with wins against Florissant Valley Community College (25-23, 21-25, 25-14, 25-20) and the William Woods University JV team (25-17, 17-25, 25-21, 25-21).  Lincoln’s record now stands at 22-11.

LC Totals:

Gretchen Rieger         32 kills, 25 digs, 21 points
Chelsea Barr               51 digs, 19 points, 5 aces
Melanie Herbeck        92 set assists, 28 points
Natalia Florczyk          20 kills, 9 points
Lara Dawson               19 kills, 10 points
Abbie Hare                  19 kills, 11 blocks
Danielle Stephenson   16 kills, 6 blocks

LC Coach Mark Tippett:  The loss we took to SWIC was a tough one.  We played very well in the first two sets, but their athleticism took over in sets three and four.  They blocked the ball well and once their middle hitters got on track they were able to builds leads on us that we could not overcome.  On Saturday we matched up better with our competition and were able to overcome a few rough patches to win in four sets.  Our hitters were a bit too cautious at times, but when we became more aggressive at the net things went our way.

On Wednesday evening the Lincoln College Volleyball team hosted the Loggers of Lincoln Land Community College in their final match of the MWAC season.  This was also the team's annual "pink" game to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer.  Lincoln Land entered the match with an impressive 29-7 record and has been ranked as high as #12 this season in the NJCAA National Poll.  Despite their underdog status, LC outlasted LLCC to earn the victory in a thrilling 5 set match.  Lincoln took the early advantage with a 25-10 route in set one.  Lincoln Land responded with a 25-17 win of their own to even the match.  The Lady Lynx captured set three by a score of 25-16, but they were unable to close out the match as the Loggers took set four 25-21.  The stage was set for a deciding game to 15.  LC took an early lead and maintained a three point advantage up until the side switch at 8-5.  At this point Lincoln Land came alive to tie the match at 8.  The two teams traded sideouts all the way up to 13-13.  Lincoln then ran off the next two points on kills by Lara " The BB" Dawson and Gretchen "Big Red" Rieger to send the crowd that packed the Davison-Sheffer gymnasium home happy.  Lincoln improved their record to 23-11 and 4-3 in MWAC play.

LC Stats:

Melanie "The Chef" Herbeck                  40 set assists, 12 points, 5 aces
Gretchen "Big Red" Rieger                     14 kills, 13 digs, 11 points
Lara "The BB" Dawson                           14 kills, 3 points, 1 ace
Chelsea "The Cannon" Barr                    16 digs, 7 points, 3 aces
Natalia "The Blonde Bomber" Florczyk           6 kills, 9 points
Abbie "Ms. Zero" Hare                              8 kills, 4 blocks
Kaylah "White Chocolate" Murphy           8 digs
Emily "Foxy Lady" Fox                               9 points, 2 digs
Danielle "Lefty" Stephenson                    4 kills, 2 blocks

LC Coach Mark Tippett:  Wow, what a match.  I could not be more proud of the effort our players gave to win tonight.  LLCC has a very athletic team with a lot of height and they have had a great season.  We managed to take them out of their game with some very aggressive serving and a disciplined defensive effort.  Our passing game was really on tonight which gave our setter, Melanie Herbeck, a chance to run the offense and keep our attack balanced.  This is the kind of win that should give us a lot of confidence as we head into the final matches of our schedule and the post season.
Lincoln will continue their home stand with two matches on Saturday.  The first will be a 10:00 am match against Joliet Junior College.  At 2:00 pm the Lynx will take on Lewis & Clark College.  Prior to the 2:00 pm match LC will honor thier sophomore players and their parents.

Lincoln College continued their winning ways by picking up two home victories on Saturday.  LC began the day with a three set win over Joliet Junior College.  Lincoln got off to a fast start and won the first set 25-16.  Set two was the only close call of the day for the Lady Lynx as they held off JJC to win 25-23.  In set three LC cruised to a 25-14 win.  Prior to the afternoon match with Lewis & Clark CC, Lincoln took time to recognize their 6 Sophomore players and their parents.  All six started the match and led LC to an impressive three set sweep of the visiting Lady Trailblazers (25-11, 25-20, 25-15).  Lincoln improved their season record to 25-11.

LC Totals:

(Soph)Melanie Herbeck            46 set assists, 15 points, 7 aces
(Soph)Gretchen Rieger             18 kills, 10 digs, 11 points
(Soph)Lara Dawson                   15 kills, 3 blocks
(Soph)Chelsea Barr                    15 digs, 7 points, 2 aces
(Soph)Kaylah Murphy                  7 digs, 9 points
(Soph)Samantha Murphy             13 points 4 aces
Natalia Florczyk                10 kills, 7 points
Abbie Hare                        10 kills, 11 blocks

LC Coach Mark Tippett:  I could not be happier for our sophomores.  They have worked hard on and off the court during the two years they have been at LC, so it is very satisfying to see them finishing their careers playing at such a high level.  Each one of them contributed to the wins today.  Our team as a whole has shaped themselves into a unit without many weaknesses. Today we showed that we can win in a variety of ways.  Our serving was not very consistent, but our sideout game stepped up to allow us to overcome this flaw. I am especially pleased with the discipline and tenacity we are showing on defense.  Our players don't give up on anything which makes us a tough team to run off points against.  We are playing just as I hoped we would at the end of the season.

Disco fever swept through Davidson-Sheffer Gymnasium last night as the Lincoln College volleyball team turned back the clock to remember the 1970's.  The Lady Lynx made short work of the visiting Carl Sandburg College Chargers as they boogied their way to a three set victory.  LC showed a lot of hustle in the first set and won it 25-12. Their bump was working well enough to take set two 25-13, and set three brought the night to a groovy end with a 25-21 win for Lincoln. 

LC Stats:

Gretchen Rieger          11 kills, 12 points
Danielle Stephenson    9 kills, 1 block
Samantha Murphy       14 points, 4 aces
Natalia Florczyk          7 kills, 2 points
Abbie Hare                  6 kills, 6 blocks
Emily Fox                    15 set assists
Markeshia Williams      5 digs, 2 points

LC Coach Mark Tippett:  We went into this match at less than full-strength due to illness and injury, which are two issues we have been lucky enough to avoid all season.  Our players handled the line-up changes well, and several members of our team stepped up their game to help us meet the challenge.  This win was another indication of how far our team has come this year.  We struggled to beat Carl Sandburg in five sets earlier in the season, but tonight we were pretty much in control of the match from start to finish. 

Notes: This was the final match of the regular season for the team.  The Lady Lynx went 12-2 in the month of October to finish with a record of 26-12.  This was also the final match to be played in the Davidson-Sheffer gymnasium where LC went 11-3 on the year. 

The Lincoln College Volleyball team held off visiting Danville Area Community College 25-22, 20-25, 25-19, 25-15 to win their first-round Region 24A play-in match.  Lincoln (27-11) will advance to play top seeded Parkland College on Wednesday evening in Champaign. 

LC Stats:

Melanie Herbeck          38 set assists, 4 points
Gretchen Rieger          14 kills, 6 points, 8 digs
Lara Dawson               12 kills, 3 blocks
Natalia Florczyk          7 kills, 9 points
Danielle Stephenson    4 kills, 1 block
Samantha Murphy       9 points, 8 digs
Abbie Hare                  11 kills, 3 blocks

LC Coach Mark Tippett:  Danville really pushed us in the first two sets.  They made us work for every point and had our hitters frustrated with their ability to keep balls in play until we made a mistake.  In set three we settled in to a good rhythm on offense and used a balanced attack to keep them guessing.  The last two sets looked more like the style of play we have been used to lately.  It is a good thing that we were tested tonight because we know we will be up against a team on Wednesday that has few weaknesess.  We will be ready to play though with the confidence that we were one of only two teams in the Region to push Parkland to four sets and we did that in the middle of the season.  It will be interesting to see how far we have come since then.

Lincoln College ended their season on Wednesday with a loss to top seeded Parkland College.  The visiting Lady Lynx lost in straight sets for only the fourth time all year.   LC hung tough in set one until a late run by Parkland led to a 25-16 victory.  Set two was not much of a contest as the Cobras jumped out to an early lead then cruised to a 25-11 win.  Set three saw LC put up more of a fight.   Lincoln showed a more aggressive attitude and worked their way to an early 7 point advantage.  However, Parkland showed why they were ranked #1 in the final NJCAA DII national poll as they climbed back into the set and eventually tied the score at 16.  LC battled to the end, but eventually fell 25-23.  Lincoln finished their season with an overall record of 27-12.

LC Stats:

Gretchen Rieger            5 kills, 6 digs
Chelsea Barr                   6 points, 11 digs
Melanie Herbeck           9 set assists, 2 points
Kaylah Murphy              4 points, 2 digs