GLEN ELLYN, ILL. - The Madison College women's volleyball team returned to the court after a nine-day layoff on Saturday, and split a pair of matches against Region 4 opponents at the College of DuPage Triangular. The WolfPack, ranked #16 in the NJCAA Division II Poll, opened with a 3-1 victory over the host Chaparrals, who are the defending NJCAA Division III National Champions and entered the weekend as the #12-ranked team in the NJCAA Division III Poll. The final match finished with a 3-1 setback to Rock Valley College, a team the Pack had defeated by in five sets at the Heartland Community College Tournament on September 15.

Match #1: #16 Madison College 3, #12 College of DuPage 1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-13, 25-21)

Despite a 25-22 opening set loss, the WolfPack offense started fast with 17 kills and a .371 attack percentage. They were able to continue to produce double-digit kills in each set, averaging 13.5 kills per set, to finish with 54 kills and a .265 efficiency for the match. Madison College also added 14 aces, six blocks, and 61 digs. Defensively, they limited the College of DuPage (20-15) to 41 kills and a .176 hitting percentage.

Freshman Courtney Gorum came through with her fourth performance of 20 or more kills in a match this season. The 6'3" middle blocker and right side hitter posted 21 kills on 45 attempts and hit .333 for the match. She completed her sixth double-double with a team-high 14 digs, to go along with a block and an ace.

Fellow first year Addison McHugh tallied 18 kills, one shy of her career-high mark of 19, and hit at a .350 clip. The Spring Grove, Minnesota, native also earned a double-double - her fourth - with 13 digs, to go along with two blocks and an ace.

Gorum and McHugh combined for 72% of the team's offensive production.

Sophomore setter Daryn Schaefer registered 32 assists, while freshman Hope Hesselberg added 16. Schaefer and second year libero Kendall Weisensel each served up five aces in the win, and both now sit at 47 to lead the WolfPack. Four others also had an ace in the match. Weisensel, a native of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, also tied Gorum for team-high honors with 14 digs.

The victory snapped a four-match losing streak against DuPage, and improves the WolfPack lead in the all-time series to 31-13.

Match: #2: Rock Valley College 3, #16 Madison College 1 (25-16, 21-25, 25-13, 25-19)

Nearly a month after winning a grueling five-set match with Rock Valley College (22-8), the two Region 4 foes met up for the 74th time in their rivalry. They split the first two sets with the Golden Eagles claiming the first and the WolfPack taking the second thanks to 15 kills and a .448 attack percentage. Unfortunately, the offense sputtered in the final two sets with two more errors than kills and efficiency marks of .040 and -.086. Madison College finished with 39 kills and 26 errors en route to a .109 percentage. They also tied their season-low mark for aces with two, and had nine blocks and 37 digs. 

Courtney Gorum paced the Pack with 16 kills on 46 attempts to hit .174. The Chesapeake, Virginia, native was tops defensively with three blocks, and had one of the team's two aces. Sophomore Tyra Anderson racked up 14 kills for her second-highest total of the season, and did so while hitting a team-best .212. 

Freshman Hope Hesselberg matched a career-best with 24 assists, and also had six digs and an ace. Daryn Schaefer added 13 assists.

Second year libero Kendall Weisensel tracked down 11 digs.

The WolfPack trail 44-29-1 in the all-time series after earning a split in their regular season matches this fall.

Up Next:

Madison College (19-8) returns to H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium on Friday, October 20 for the Madison College Triangular. The WolfPack will open against Region 4 opponent Sauk Valley Community College (17-12) at noon, followed by a 2:00 p.m. match against #13 Heartland Community College (23-7). The Skyhawks are 20-5-1 all-time against the Pack, including wins in 2017 and 2018, however, the rest of the head-to-head series took place in 2000 or earlier. Madison College is 1-0 against the Hawks, having won a four-set match at the Parkland College Tournament on September 30 this season. The fourth team in the event is Milwaukee Area Technical College (16-10).

All matches will stream live at MadisonCollege.TV.

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