BLOOMINGTON, Il. - Calvin women's volleyball competed in the Holiday Inn Express Classic at Illinois Wesleyan University Friday evening with the Knights taking on Aurora and host Illinois Wesleyan. 

In the first match, the Knights defeated Aurora 3-1 and defeated Illinois Wesleyan in a clean 3-0 sweep in the late contest. 

Aurora
Calvin 3, Aurora 1

The first set of the match was a close one early as the Knights had a slight 13-11 lead after a kill by Anna Schriemer (Vicksburg, MI / Vicksburg). The Knights slowly started to extend their lead over the Spartans. Calvin led 24-13 when Aurora went a small run to make it 24-18, but Gabriella Kellogg (Belleville, MI / Plymouth Christian Academy) closed out the set with a kill to take it 25-20. 

Aurora came out ready to go in the second set and jumped out to a 16-12 lead over the Knights. Calvin tried to get back into the set, but the Spartans kept answering everything that was thrown their way. Aurora took the second set 25-18 and tied it up 1-1 heading into the third set. 

The third set was tied at 6-6 before the Knights went on a 7-0 run that was capped off by a kill by Heidi Westra (Clarendon Hils, IL / Timothy Christian) to give them a 13-6 lead. Calvin was in control of the third set as it closed the set out on a 5-1 run. The set was finished off by a kill from Kelsey Smith (Vienna, VA / Madison) that brought the score to 25-18. 

Calvin was up 2-1 heading into the fourth set, and it was another close one. The Knights took a one-point lead after a kill by Westra to give the Knights an 11-10 lead. Aurora still had some fight left and hung around. A pair of runs by both teams put the Knights up 24-20 before Smith closed the set with a kill to take it 25-20, and the match 3-1. 

Westra finished with an impressive 21 kills and 12 digs while Gabriella Kellogg had 12 kills. Aubrey Wrubel (Jenison, MI / Jenison) finished with 15 digs while teammate Schriemer finished with 11 digs. 

Illinois Wesleyan
Calvin 3, Illinois Wesleyan 0

The second match of the evening was against host Illinois Wesleyan. Calvin gained the nice early lead as it took an 11-6 lead after a kill by Vanessa Martinez (Hudsonville, MI / Wyoming). The Titans struggled to get anything going on the offensive end as the Knights were dominating in the first set. Calvin finished off the first set on a 14-6 run to win 25-12. 

In the second set, Calvin led 14-8 after a kill by Maria Bos (Grand Rapids, MI / Grand Rapids Christian). Illinois Wesleyan was still struggling to score on Calvin, but the Knights didn't slow down as they were leading 22-14 after a kill by Westra. They took the second set 25-16 after a kill by Bos.

In set three, the Knights kept using their momentum for the first two sets to take an early 12-3 lead after a service ace by Theresa Kehn (Brighton, MI / Charyl Stockwell Preparatory). The Titans weren't giving up just yet as they went on an 11-6 run to make it a close set against the Knight with a score of 18-14. Ill. Wesleyan closed the gap late but Calvin won the set 25-19 after a kill by Gabriella Kellogg to seal the set and the match victory. 

Gabriella Kellogg led the team with 14 kills while Westra had 12 kills and Bos finished with 10 kills in the match. Wrubel led the team with 17 digs while teammate Schriemer finished the game with 10 digs.

COACHES COMMENT: "We played two very good teams tonight," said Calvin head women's volleyball coach Amber Warners after the match. "The scores do not reflect how tough the matches were. We played very well. Our passing defense and serving was spot on. We can't be content because tomorrow will be a another tough one." 

UP NEXT: The Knights will take on Mt. St. Joseph at 11 a.m. Saturday.