INDIANAPOLIS- Junior Jessica Breeden had a monster performance for the University of Indianapolis volleyball team Saturday at the Ruth Lilly Center. The 5-10 middle led UIndy to a 25-18, 25-22, 20-25, 25-21 win versus division rival and 25th-ranked Northern Kentucky by racking up a career-high tying 16 kills with 10 blocks and three aces.

 

Breeden did her damage offensively on 24 attack attempts and zero errors, good for a lofty .667 hitting percentage. In her first career double-double, the Martinsville, Ind. product earned a block assist on both the match's initial and final points.

 

The Greyhounds (23-7, 11-3 GLVC) led for the entirety of the first two sets. UIndy jumped out to a quick 5-0 advantage in the opener before pushing the lead to 9-1. The Norse eventually pulled within one at 16-15, but the Hounds finished the frame on a 9-3 run.

 

NKU (23-6, 12-2) kept the score closer in the second set but still could not manage to lead or even tie the Greyhounds. UIndy's 4-0 run midway through the set put the Hounds up 20-13, a lead that proved unrecoverable for the Norse.

 

Though NKU came into the match with a league-leading .310 team hitting percentage, the Hounds were able to limit NKU's offensive potency for the majority of the match.  That wasn't the case in the third set, however, as the Norse attacked at a .351 clip to earn a win and extend the match.

 

In the fourth, the adversaries traded points through the first half of the play, but with the score knotted at 15, UIndy again used a mid-set rally to create some breathing room. The surge was a 4-0 mini-run that included back-to-back aces from Breeden. The Norse would get no closer than two from that point, as UIndy's 3-1 win avenged Sep.20 loss at NKU.

 

Many Hounds joined Breeden with solid numbers. Sophomore Cheneta Morrison just missed a triple-double Saturday by compiling 12 kills, 11 digs and a personal-high eight block assists. Freshman Courtney Anglemyer registered a .423 hitting percentage with 13 kills.

 

A day after breaking the program's career assist record, senior Beth Robbins notched 51 helpers with seven digs and two aces. Kyleigh Turner and Lyndsay Callahan added 19 and 12 digs, respectively, while Abby Merritt garnered 27 attack attempts and seven digs.

 

UIndy will soon wrap up its regular-season schedule. The Hounds host non-conference Urbana Tuesday at 7 pm before playing its final four matches, all against GLVC East opponents.