East Peoria, Ill. - After playing 13 of their first 15 matches on the road, it was good for the young ICC volleyball team to be back home on Friday in their tilt with DI Jefferson College.  However, the Vikings proved to be too much for the Cougars, winning 3-1 to drop Tracy Heffren's squad's record to 7-8 overall.

The Cougars started strong, opening the afternoon with a dominant 25-14 first set. The Vikings roared back and took a big lead in set 2; ICC rallied but the Vikings took it 25-22. Nearly the same thing happened in set three as Jeff-Co wpm 25-23 and seemed to have a stranglehold on the match before the Cougars made the set competitive.  The visiting Vikings continued to play strong to win 25-16 and take the match.

ICC will continue to try to work the kinks out as the newcomers gain experience and the returners try to provide stability against what has been a very difficult schedule against numerous ranked teams.  After having the rest of the weekend off, the Cougars will hit the road next Wednesday (September 15th), traveling to Frontier in Fairfield, Illinois. ICC will return home to Ramsey Gym for a tri-match on Friday, September 17th, taking on Southeastern Illinois at 2pm and Rend Lake at 4pm.

Leaders vs. Jefferson College:
Cougars lose, 3-1 (25-14, 22-25, 23-25, 16-25)
Kills | Hannah Alvey (11), Summer Sheley (11)
Digs | Hope Allen (23), Hannah Alvey (14), Tess Smith (10)
Assists | Lacy Pilgrim (19), Brooke Ely (15)
Blocks | Hannah Alvey (4), Gracie Schultz (4)

Next Up:
#19 ICC Cougars (7-8) @ Frontier Bobcats (4-5) on Wednesday, September 15th at 6:00 pm.  At this time, we do not believe there will be live coverage at Frontier.