The Forester volleyball team defeated Eureka College 21-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-16 Wednesday evening and matched the sixth-longest winning streak in program history with its eighth consecutive victory.
It was a slow start for the home team, which was behind by by as many as eight points in the opening set. Lake Forest closed to within three at 22-19 and 24-21 but could not complete the comeback.
The Foresters broke a 5-5 tie with back-to-back aces by sophomore
Julia Turskey and never trailed again in set two. They led 23-15 before the Red Devils won six of seven points, a run ended by a set-clinching kill by sophomore setter
Lilly Robinson.
Set three was tied at 11 before Lake Forest took 11 of the next 13 points. A kill by Forester senior
Holland Smits, who finished with a match-high 12 of them, finished it off.
The home team took control a little earlier in the fourth set, rattling off six straight points after facing a 7-6 deficit. An 8-0 run featuring a pair of aces by junior libero
Lauren Volk made the score 20-10 and senior
Mary Gegen's 12th kill of the evening eventually closed out the match.
In addition to reaching double figures in kills, Smits and Gegen added 16 and 11 digs, respectively. It was Gegen's seventh double-double of the year and the second for Smits.
Robinson tallied 35 assists while Turskey served up a team-high four aces and added 15 digs. Volk shared match-high honors with Smits in digs (16) and freshman
Sadie Frye finished with five blocks.
The Foresters are now 14-4 and Eureka 3-15 this season.
Lake Forest will resume Midwest Conference play against Illinois College at home on Saturday. The match between two of the top four teams in the standings will begin at 1:00 p.m.
