The Lake Forest College volleyball team came out on top 11-25, 25-22, 26-24, 14-25, 15-13 at Concordia University Chicago Thursday night.

Forester freshman Rio Dirksen led all players in the contest with a career-high 19 kills, the program's highest total since late in the 2023 season. She was especially effective in the fifth and final set, accounting for six of the team's points on four kills and a pair of solo blocks. Fittingly, match point came on a kill by Dirksen and the last of senior setter Lilly Robinson's 27 assists.

Robinson raised her career assist total to 1,267 and climbed into 10th place in program history in that category.

While Dirksen and Robinson recorded match-high totals for kills and assists, sophomore Margaret Almonte led all players with a career-high 19 digs. Senior Ireland Van Stone and junior Meghan Winston were next with 15 apiece and Winston's 10 kills gave her a double-double while Van Stone came up one kill shy.

After struggling in the opening set, the Foresters used a 9-1 run to take control early in set two. The Cougars fourth off four consecutive set point opportunities to make the score 24-22 before a serving error ended it.

Neither team led by more than three points in set three. Lake Forest's advantage was just that at 24-21 before three in a row from the home team tied the score for the 14th time in the set. A kill by Dirksen broke that tie and a setting error from Concordia Chicago gave the visitors the lead in the match.

The Cougars won the first six points of the fourth set and their lead reached double figures at 19-9 after another six-point run. Two kills by Dirksen and one by Winston briefly delayed set point but the contest was soon knotted at two sets apiece.

Set three started with three straight points for the Foresters, three in a row for the Cougars, and then three more by Lake Forest. The Forester lead grew to four at 8-4 but Concordia Chicago battles back and eventually tied the score at 11. Back-to-back points by both teams made it 13-13 and a kill by Van Stone set up a chance at match point, which Dirksen converted.

Lake Forest's first road win of the year raised its record to 2-6 while the Cougars fell to 3-7.

The Foresters will wait eight days for their next matches, which will be against the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and host WIsconsin Lutheran College next Friday.