Volleyball Splits Saturday Matches in Indiana
Teunis Posts 11 Blocks in Opener, Celus Delivers 30 Kills
MONMOUTH, Ill. (09/12/2026) — The Monmouth College volleyball team split two matches at the DePauw Invitational in Indiana on Saturday. The Fighting Scots (2-5) beat Illinois Tech 3-2 and lost to Anderson 3-0. Monmouth takes the court at home on Tuesday night against Augustana.
The first match against Illinois Tech featured 24 ties and 10 lead changes. Tyla Mattson (Morton, Illinois) got things started with an ace and Brianna Carden (Pecatonica, Illinois) added a kill for a 3-0 lead. Kaylee Celus (Annawan, Illinois) added three kills and shared a block with Melina Teunis (Grand Haven, Michigan) for a 10-4 lead. The Scarlet Hawks pulled even at 11 before Tenuis and Bri Woodard (Monmouth, Illinois) delivered kills. Monmouth fell behind by two but kills by Carden and Haley Smither (Albany, Illinois) tied the set. Carden, Teunis and Woodard delivered kills as the Scots took a 20-18 lead. After adding a kill, Teunis had an ace and Monmouth won the set 25-21 on an Illinois Tech error.
Chloe Strachan (Reynolds, Illinois) started the second set with a kill and Teunis had an early block. Monmouth led 5-4 when Strachan delivered two kills and Celus added another for an 11-7 lead. Celus piled up three more kills and Strachan made it 18-10 with a kill.Isa Hughes (Chicago, Illinois) had an ace. After two blocks, Hughes made it 24-11 with an ace and Woodard finished off the set with a kill.
The Scarlet Hawks used three different 4-0 runs to win the third set 25-20. Monmouth led the set early 8-4 and 11-5 but Illinois Tech rallied to lead 16-15. The Scots went back on top 18-17 before a 4-0 run as IT finished off the set.
Monmouth jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fourth set with kills by Carden and Celus. Kills from Strachan and Woodard made it 9-7 but the Scarlet Hawks won the next seven points to lead 14-9. Monmouth pulled within one on an ace by Celus and a block by Strachan and Teunis. Another block, this time a solo one by Strachan, built a 24-22 lead as the Scots had match point. However, Illinois Tech won the next four points to take the set 26-24.
The Scots never trailed in the fifth set. After two errors by IT, Celus had a kill and Zoe Nizzia (Pekin, Illinois) served an ace. Strachan and Celus had kills for a 7-2 lead and three blocks, all involving Teunis, made it 11-4. The Scarlet Hawks closed the gap with three straight points before Woodard and Strachan had kills. Celus made it 14-9 with a kill and Mattson finished off the 5-set win with a kill.
Celus led the way with 14 kills while Strachan had 11, Woodard had eight and Teunis had seven. Teunis had 11 blocks and Hughes had five aces. Mattson led with 23 assists and added 12 digs. Abriana Bruns (Johnsburg, Illinois) led Monmouth with 22 digs while Celus had 17, Nizzia had 15 and Kami Barth (Washington, Illinois) had 10.
In the afternoon match against Anderson there were 29 ties and 11 lead changes but the Scots fell 25-19, 26-24, 27-25. Carden, Celus and Teunis started with early kills but the Ravens led 6-3. Hughes had an ace but Anderson extended the lead to 14-7 and 17-9. Celus and Strachan added kills but the set finished at 25-13.
The second set was back and forth the entire way. Carden and Abby Viano (Braidwood, Illinois) shared a block early and Strachan added a kill. Woodard and Celus had kills for a 6-2 lead before the Ravens pulled even. Down one, Monmouth got kills from Strachan, Katie Whitson (Mackinaw, Illinois) and Celus to lead 15-13. A block by Strachan and Teunis plus a kill from Celus put the Scots up 19-15. Anderson pulled even at 21 before kills from Carden, Strachan and Celus put Monmouth on top 24-23. Anderson took the set by winning three straight points.
The third set had 18 ties and eight lead changes. Celus had a kill early and Bruns added an ace. Woodard, Teunis and Celus had two kills each before Monmouth called timeout down 13-11. Nizzia served an ace before Celus had four kills in a row for an 18-15 lead. Anderson pulled even before Woodard had a pair of kills and Monmouth added two blocks. The set was tied at 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25 before Anderson won two straight points to finish the match.
Celus led the Scots with 16 kills while Woodard had nine and Teunis had seven. Hughes had 16 assists while Whitson had 12. Hughes led the way with three aces and Celus led the team with 10 digs. Viano had four blocks against Anderson while Strachan had three.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Teunis had 11 blocks against Illinois Tech, one shy of the school record set by Jamie Jones in 2001 ... Teunis tied the 5-set school record, last done in 2021 by Sarah LaHood and Amanda Dybal, as Jones had her 12 blocks in a 4-set match against Rockford ... Mattson's 23 assists against Illinois Tech are the most by a Monmouth player this season ... Celus had 30 kills on Saturday and has at least 10 kills in three straight matches ... She also delivered 27 digs and six blocks on Saturday ... Teunis had 14 kills and 13 blocks on the day ... Strachan and Woodard both had 15 kills Saturday ... Strachan had eight blocks and Woodard had six ... Hughes had eight aces on Saturday ... Whitson had a career-best 12 assists against Anderson ... The 5-set win was Monmouth's first 5-set match this season ... Monmouth and Illinois Tech had never met before Saturday ... The Scots are 4-12 all-time against Anderson with a 3-2 loss in 2024 ... The home opener is Tuesday against Augustana at 7 p.m.
Media Attachments
Anderson box score
Illinois Tech Box Score
Monmouth College
Nathan Baliva 309-457-2322 nbaliva@monmouthcollege.eduShare this Story
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