Box score
UIndy 3, Rockurst 2
INDIANAPOLIS- The 20th-ranked Greyhound volleyball team advanced to the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament championship match with a thrilling 3-2 (24-30, 30-11, 30-25, 23-30, 15-11) win over visiting Rockhurst at Ruth Lilly Center on Saturday night. UIndy, the host of the tourney, rebounded from a subpar first game to dominate game two and eventually take the win. The victory puts the Hounds in the GLVC finals for the third time in the last five seasons.
UIndy (32-2) struggled out of the gate and never held a lead in the first game, dropping a 30-24 decision. The Hounds were outhit .275-.117 in game one. But, the tide would turn in game two as UIndy scored four straight points to open the action, forcing a Rockhurst timeout.
The stoppage did not quell the momentum, however. The Hounds took six of the next eight points to force Rockhurst to call its final timeout at 10-2. Again, it did little good as Casey Chrzastowski proceeded to hold serve for the next 13 points and UIndy opened a 23-2 wound in dominating fashion. Overall, the senior served the Hounds to 15 consecutive scores, charging a raucous home crowd. UIndy would go on to easily win the second game, 30-11.
Game three saw the teams battle within a point for a good portion of the early going until the Greyhounds turned a 12-12 tie into a five-point advantage. Rockhurst would trail 29-22, but did not relinquish the game easily, blocking three straight points to edge within four. A deep Ashley Fallos kill put the exclamation point on the game and gave it to UIndy, 30-25.
In game four, RU jumped out to a 14-8 lead and never looked back, eventually winning 30-23 to force a deciding fifth game.
Game five would not disappoint in the exciting match as neither team scored two straight points until the Hounds got back-to-back scores after a 5-5 tie to control a slim 7-5 margin. RU battled back to get a 9-8 edge, but the Hounds would later score five straight to eventually take the 15-11 win and the match.
Chrzastowski led the UIndy attack, posting 18 kills and four service aces in the win. Three other Greyhounds had double-digit nights in kills with Cheneta Morrison grabbing 15 and Lyndsay Callahan and Jessica Breeden with a dozen apiece. Kyleigh Turner turned-in a 27-dig effort for the Greyhounds and Beth Robbins added 61 assists to the cause.
UIndy will face Lewis University on Sunday afternoon in the league tourney's championship match. The Flyers are the lone opponent to beat the Hounds at home this season, winning a 3-0 affair back on Oct. 27. LU was also a five-game winner on Saturday, rebounding from a 0-2 deficit to take a 3-2 win over #10 SIU Edwardsville in the other semifinal match.
