Illini Central hasn't had much luck against Hartsburg-Emden recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Cougars will host the Stags at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with 14 defeats in a row, Illini Central turned things around against Cornerstone Christian on Saturday. They walked away with a 2-0 win over the Cyclones.
Morgan Peterson
| 09/27/25 vs Cornerstone Christian | 23 |
| 09/27/25 vs Mt. Olive | 29 |
| 09/27/25 @ Calvary | 11 |
| 09/25/25 vs New Berlin | 29 |
| 09/23/25 vs Olympia | 20 |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Illini Central to victory, but perhaps none more so than Morgan Peterson, who had 23 digs. Peterson is on a roll when it comes to digs, as she's now had 11 or more in each of the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Elayna Snyder, who had eight digs, three aces, and one block.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Thursday Hartsburg-Emden sidestepped Tremont for a 2-1 victory. The win continues a trend for the Stags in their matchups with the Turks: they've now won three in a row.
It was an exciting match in which no team won back-to-back sets, but at the end of the day Hartsburg-Emden got the one that really mattered. The final score came out to 25-19, 27-29, 25-12.
Illini Central better focus on containing Celia Cross and Ava Eeten as the pair were huge in Hartsburg-Emden's win. Cross hit 76.9% for ten kills and four blocks and three digs, while Eeten had seven digs. Those seven digs gave Eeten a new career-high.
Illini Central's victory bumped their record up to 3-15. As for Hartsburg-Emden, their win bumped their record up to 15-3.
Illini Central couldn't quite get it done against Hartsburg-Emden when the teams last played back in September of 2024 as they fell 2-0. Will the Cougars have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other volleyball content.
