By Deren Kudeki & Gargoyle sports staff
Posted Saturday, Sept. 16, 2006, The OG, sports

DELAND — The girls varsity volleyball team suffered its first conference loss Friday night, falling to host Deland-Weldon 25-17, 20-25, 22-25. The Illineks entered the match with a 3-0 East Central Illinois Conference record.

Uni and Deland-Weldon are now tied atop the ECIC standings at 3-1. The Illineks drop to 6-10 overall. Last year, Uni finished fourth in the ECIC with a 6-6 record, while the Eagles placed third at 8-4.

Like many of Uni's losses the season, the match was close, with the third game decided by only three points. The loss ended a busy five-day stretch in which the Illineks went 2-2, highlighted by Thursday's upset of Fisher.

“I just thought it was really frustrating to watch us fall apart, especially after we beat Fisher,” said junior Sarah Pfander. “We were down two players. Beckaa [Wallig] was on a college visit and Jamie [Weiser] had to come out because of tooth pain, but it was still heartbreaking to watch the game slowly slip away. We need to learn how to crush our opponents in two games, so we never give them the chance
to win.”

Sophomore Jessi Sullivan led the team with five kills, followed by sophomore Rachel Skoza with three. Junior Ruthie Welch recorded 11 assists.

Senior Mandy Grill led with 14 digs; Pfander added 10. Grill recorded four aces, while Sullivan and junior Karen Woodley contributed two. Woodley, Grill, and Skoza each tallied one block.

The girls now enter a monthlong stretch in which they will play ECIC opponents almost exclusively. The next four weeks wil determine whether Uni wins its first-ever conference title in volleyball, and whether the team will surpass last year's school-record 14 wins.

The Illineks host Normal Calvary Baptist Monday night at Kenney Gym.

VARSITY RECORD: 6-10 overall, 3-1 ECIC
(Home matches in bold)
Aug. 31: Oakwood, L 11-25, 23-25
Sept. 2: Atwood-Hammond (at Deland-Weldon Eagle Classic), L 23-25, 25-18, 9-15
Sept. 2: LeRoy (at Deland-Weldon Eagle Classic), W 25-13, 22-25, 15-10
Sept. 2: South Fork (at Deland-Weldon Eagle Classic), L (game scores to be posted)
Sept. 2: Rockford Keith (at Deland-Weldon Eagle Classic), L 9-25, 17-25
Sept. 2: Lovington (at Deland-Weldon Eagle Classic), L 20-25, 9-25
Sept. 5: Buckley Christ Lutheran,* W 25-12, 25-22
Sept. 8: Decatur Christian,* W 25-5, 25-23
Sept. 9: Westville (at Westville Invitational), L 25-17, 10-25, 11-25
Sept. 9: Georgetown-Ridge Farm (at Westville Invitational), W 25-14, 25-15
Sept. 9: Heritage (at Westville Invitational), L 23-25, 21-25
Sept. 9: Salt Fork (at Westville Invitational), L 25-10, 21-25, 25-27
Sept. 11: St. Thomas More, L 25-16, 17-25, 9-25
Sept. 12: at Normal Calvary Baptist,* W 25-20, 21-25, 25-23
Sept. 14: Fisher, W 25-23, 25-22

Sept. 15: at Deland-Weldon,* L 25-17, 20-25, 22-25
*East Central Illinois Conference opponent