ROCKFORD, Ill. – Ranked victory! For the first time in three years, Macomb Volleyball picked up a win over a ranked opponent when they defeated No. 18 McHenry County in three sets Sunday (Aug. 24) to cap off Opening Weekend Tournament play. The last win over a ranked opponent was nearly three years to the date (Aug. 25, 2022 – 3-2 win over No. 6 Terra State).

MATCH ONE: Kankakee 3, Macomb 2 (21-25, 25-17, 25-23, 22-25, 9-15)
So close! The Monarchs held a 2-1 lead in the match but faltered late in part to injury woes down the stretch. Sophia Kulaga recorded a career-high 24 digs and was followed by Brooke Baker with a collegiate-best 21 and Jordan Pflaum with a career-best 20 digs.

The Monarchs had one solo block and 12 block assists in the five-set affair, led by Caryss Terry with the lone solo and three assists and Kaley Eller who also had three block assists.

Eller paced the action at the net offensively with 13 kills, while Pflaum and Terry followed closely with 11 kills and 10 kills, respectively. Korin Hutton posted a new collegiate best 37 assists and added 10 assists and two block assists in the hard fought setback.

MATCH TWO: Macomb 3, No. 18 McHenry County 0 (25-7, 25-18, 25-18)
The program's first ranked win in three years came in emphatic fashion as the Monarchs cruised to a sweep over No. 18 McHenry County by set scores of 25-7, 25-18 and 25-18. Kara Beeker led the attack with 12 kills, Brooke Baker and Jordan Pflaum added eight each and Caryss Terry recorded seven kills of her own to round out the leaders at the net.

Korin Hutton notched 28 assists on the team's 39 kills while Pflaum had 12 digs and Terry posted a team best four block assists to go along with one solo block.