GALESBURG — The Carl Sandburg College volleyball team reached the 20-win plateau while finishing off its Arrowhead Conference schedule with a workmanlike 25-14, 25-16, 25-14 sweep of Highland on Tuesday night at John M. Lewis Gymnasium.
Sophomore Lexi Strange (Emden, Ill./Hartsburg-Emden) delivered a team-best eight kills and had two aces for the Chargers (20-11, 8-2), who finished the conference season alone in second place with their only two losses to champion Sauk Valley.
Hannah Thompson (Blandinsville, Ill./West Prairie), Josalyn Owens (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln) and Jordan Price (Fulton, Ill./Fulton) each added seven kills for the Chargers, who had just eight attack errors on the night. Sam Mayberry (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) totaled five kills while added a pair of solo blocks for Sandburg.
Sophomore Emma Derry (Augusta, Ill./Southeastern) had 30 assists — her fourth straight contest with at least that many — for the Chargers, and libero Adre Vetter (Emden, Ill./Hartsburg-Emden) picked up 14 digs. Freshman Haley Stevenson (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) served up three of the Chargers’ eight aces in the match.
The Chargers led 14-11 in the first set before taking five straight points behind Stevenson’s serve to open up a 19-11 advantage. The Cougars (6-19, 4-6) trailed just 16-14 in the second when Strange delivered a kill and followed with an ace to begin a six-point run.
A 5-0 run early in the third gave the Chargers a lasting lead at 8-4. Sandburg finished the match out with four straight points, including an ace from sophomore Grace Ferguson (Monmouth, Ill./Monmouth-Roseville) that set up match point.
Sandburg will honor its 10 sophomores Thursday when it hosts Southeastern (Iowa) at 6:30 p.m. on Sophomore Night. The Chargers will wrap up the regular season at the Parkland Invite on Friday and Saturday.
