The Forester volleyball team hosted and defeated fellow Midwest Conference member Grinnell College 25-14, 16-25, 25-14, 25-13 on Saturday (October 24) before falling in 25-14, 24-26, 20-25, 25-17, 15-8 to Trinity International University in a non-conference match later in the day. Lake Forest is now 6-18 overall on the season and 3-4 in league play. Grinnell was defeated in three sets by Trinity International in the second contest of the day and fell to 12-15 overall and 4-4 in the MWC. Trinity International's victories raised its record to 16-15.

Freshmen Cori Cooper (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central) and Molly McCloskey (Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) shared team-high honors with 11 kills apiece in the match, including six a four, respectively, in the first set alone. The Foresters scored four consecutive points twice, added a pair of 3-0 runs, and did not surrender more than two points in a row during the set.

Grinnell lead throughout set two and by as many as 11 points. Sophomore Theresa Converse (Warrentown, Va./Notre Dame Academy) served up three aces during a 6-0 Forester run that cut the deficit to 20-15 but the comeback attempt ended there.

Lake Forest freshman Megan Trubich (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central), who recorded a match-high 19 digs in the contest, was serving during a 7-0 Forester run early in the third set and a 6-0 run later in the frame. Junior Mandi Mulliner (Elmhurst, Ill./York) had four kills in the set, including the one that closed out the set.

A kill and an ace by Mcloskey broke a 3-3 tie early in set four and the home team gradually built a 16-7 advantage. The Pioneers pulled to within five points (17-12) but two more kills by McCloskey highlighted a 9-1 run to end the match.

Forester junior setter Deena Blanchard (Sparta, Mich./Sparta) finished the match with 30 assists. Cooper and Trubich, who rank among the MWC leaders in aces per set, were each one shy of Converse's match-high four in that category. McCloskey reached double figures in digs with 11. Mulliner had nine kills and led the team with five blocks.

Lake Forest trailed by just one (9-8) in the first set against Trinity International before a 12-2 Trojan run all but clinched the set for the visitors.

The second set was close throughout, with the only significant lead, a six-point margin (21-15) for the Foresters, erased by the Trojans, who survived three straight set points before kills by Cooper and senior Megan Fasules (Little Rock, Ark./Pulaski Academy) finished them off. Cooper had nine digs and McCloskey and Trubich recorded seven apiece in the set.


The Foresters scored the first three points and led throughout set three. Mulliner, who finished the match tied with Cooper for team-high honors with 15 kills, pounded out nine in the third set alone. Blanchard had a dozen assists and Cooper eight digs in the set.

An 8-2 Lake Forest run brought the home team back from a 7-0 deficit to start out set four. Trinity International, however, pulled away after that to even the match at two sets apiece.

Set five was tied at one, two, three, four, and seven before an 8-1 run by the Trojans closed out the match.

Cooper, Trubich, and McCloskey led the Foresters in digs with 29, 25, and 23, respectively. Blanchard had 37 assists and a dozen digs.

Lake Forest, one of four MWC teams with four league losses and likely battling for the fourth and final spot in the 2009 MWC Tournament, will travel to Carroll University Wednesday night (October 28) for a 7:00 match. The Foresters will then close out the regular season at home next Saturday (October 31) with a league match against Lawrence University at 11:00 a.m. and a non-conference contest against Wisconsin Lutheran College at 3:00 p.m. Live video webcasts of all of Lake Forest's home and conference matches are available at www.pennatlantic.com