EAST PEORIA, Ill. – UIndy volleyball gave all it could give Friday night, but failed to pull off what would have been a significant upset against the 21st-ranked Rockhurst Hawks, falling 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-23) in the quarterfinals of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship Tournament.

The Greyhounds finish their season 15-16 overall, while the Hawks improve to 27-5 and advance to meet McKendree in Saturday's semifinal match.

"I was extremely proud of our effort tonight," Head Coach Jason Reed said. "There aren't too many teams that have made Rockhurst that uncomfortable and make that many mistakes. I think that is a testament to the way we were playing."

With a third of the roster sidelined due to injury, the UIndy lineup featured only the six starters and libero. Still, the Hounds turned in a performance that stood in stark contrast to their 3-0 defeat less than two weeks ago in Nicoson Hall.

UIndy held one of the nation's best hitting squads to a .209 mark, totaling 52 digs and seven team blocks in a solid defensive effort.

"We stayed aggressive and played really good defense, and forced Rockhurst to make mistakes," Reed noted.

UIndy got down 8-2 early in the match, forcing a quick timeout from Reed. The Hounds rallied to pull within 15-13, but the Hawks held on to escape the opening set with a 25-20 win. All-GLVC Second Team selection Kacee Salyers totaled five kills to pace the Hounds.

The second set played out even more closely, featuring 11 ties and a seven lead exchanges.

An ace from Salyers midway through the set gave the Hounds a 13-12 lead, and from there the two sides seemingly traded points down the stretch. Eventually, a quick 2-0 sequence gave the Hawks a 22-20 lead, and, despite a pair of UIndy timeouts, the Hawks again eked out a narrow decision, 25-22.

After two full sets, the Greyhounds were out-hitting their nationally-ranked counterparts, .200 (24-10-70) to .175 (31-17-80), but Rockhurst held an advantage in digs (33 to 28) and assists (30 to 24) while converting five aces.

Rockhurst appeared to be in control in the third set, leading by as many as 18-12. But the Hounds had one more fight in them, pulling all the way back to get within one point at 23-22, forcing a Rockhurst timeout.

Out of the break, the Hawks scored two of the next three to secure the win, ending the Hounds' upset bid.

"If you weren't looking at the score you would have thought we were in control of the match," Reed commented. He's now 6-3 in GLVC Tournament matches.

"I'm really happy our seniors were able to leave it all on the floor. I'm also looking forward to getting some of our nucleus back from injury and heading into the 2017 season strong."

Salyers led UIndy with her 12h double-double of the season, recording 10 kills and as many digs. She also hit .292 and added a pair of aces.

Freshman Anna Fehribach paced the Hounds with 13 digs, adding eight kills, and sophomore Maggie Gibson totaled 36 assists.

Seniors Becca Lira (9 digs, 7 kills) and Shelby Ruffner (9 kills, .278 atack pct.) completed their Greyhound careers in Friday's loss.