Lake Forest College Sports Information
November 9, 2002
Contact:  Mike Wajerski, SID

Foresters Finish Fourth at MWC Championship Tourney
Team defeated Grinnell but fell to St. Norbert and IC
  

Jenny Anderson is just the third Forester with 1,000 career kills.
GALESBURG, IL - After collecting a four-game victory over Grinnell College Friday (November 8) at the Midwest Conference Championship Tournament, the Forester volleyball team lost to St. Norbert College and Illinois College on Saturday (November 9), ending its run of three straight MWC Titles. Lake Forest entered the tournament as the number five seed while Grinnell was number four, St. Norbert number one, and Illinois College number three.

In the victory over Grinnell (31-29, 30-23, 27-30, 37-35), junior Jenny Anderson (Sebastopol, CA/El Molino) led the team with 18 kills, giving her 1,006 for her career. She became just the third Forester to ever reach 1,000, and the only one to do so before her senior season.

Junior Stephanie Metzger (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech) had a good all-around game with 15 kills, four aces, and 18 digs. Sophomore Amy Krueger (Tinley Park, IL/Andrew) matched Metzger's digs total and sophomore Andrea Krueger (Tinley Park, IL/Andrew), her twin sister, led the team with 27 assists. Sophomore Abbey Larson (Livonia, MI/Stevenson) matched a season-high with eight blocks in the match.

Eventual champion St. Norbert prevented Lake Forest from winning its fourth straight title with a three-game victory (30-23, 30-21, 30-26) in the semifinals. Anderson again led the team in kills with 13. Amy Krueger had 18 more digs while Andrea tallied 24 assists. Senior Kelly McNiff (Maryland Heights, MO/Pattonville) and junior Lizmarie Davila (Carpentersville, IL/Kelvyn Park) each had three blocks.

The Foresters faced Illinois College in the third-place match, and were defeated in three games (30-25, 30-28, 30-27). Anderson was the only Lake Forest player in double-figures in kills with 11. Metzger recorded three aces and 14 digs, Larson had five more blocks, and Andrea Krueger dished out 18 more assists.

In the three tournament matches combined, Anderson led the team with 42 kills, taking her career total up to 1,030. Anna Panighetti is second in school history with 1,042 and Stephanie Reinboldt is the career leader with 1,290. Junior Jenna Harper (St. Louis, MO/Clayton) had the second-highest weekend total with 28. She also had 11 blocks, giving her 113 for the season, the second-highest total in the program's 27 years. Anderson (383), Harper (320), and Metzger (300) became the second trio in school history to each record at least 300 kills in the same season.

McNiff, who helped Lake Forest to 83 victories in her career, the best four-year run in school history, is the 2002 team's lone senior. With the rest of the team returning in 2003, their time away from the top of the conference may be just one year.

Lake Forest - Grinnell Box Score
Lake Forest - St. Norbert Box Score
Lake Forest - Illinois College Box Score