INDIANAPOLIS- After falling down two sets to none against Great Lakes Valley Conference West Division-leading Missouri-St. Louis, the 22nd-ranked University of Indianapolis volleyball team rallied to force a fifth and final set but came up short (27-25, 26-24, 15-25, 23-25, 15-12) at the Ruth Lilly Center Friday night.  The Tritons hit .320 in the clincher to hold off the charging Greyhounds and hand them just their fourth loss of the season and first at home.

 

Both the first two sets took more than the normal 25 points to decide.  The Hounds out-hit UMSL .244-.184 in the second frame but still found themselves in an 0-2 hole.  Meanwhile, the Tritons (14-3, 8-1 GLVC) were able to pick up six points on service aces before the third set, compared to just one ace from the Greyhounds.

The UIndy offense found a rhythm in set number three to the tune of a .375 hitting percentage.  The Hounds combined for just one attack error in the set with five kills coming from sophomore Lyndsay Callahan and four from freshman Kristina Hefferan.

 

The Greyhounds maintained control through most of the fourth set.  UIndy built a six-point lead at 17-11, but UMSL stormed back with a 9-4 run to creep within one.  The Hounds would hang on and win the race to 25 and force a fifth set.

 

Though they had managed a modest .171 team hitting percentage through the first four sets, the Tritons came alive in the fifth by hitting at a .320 clip.  With the score tied 10-10, Missouri-St. Louis surged with 3-0 mini-run to put the pressure on the home team.  UIndy answered with two straight points, but UMSL sophomore Elizabeth Cook killed the final two points to seal the deal.

 

Four Greyhounds reached double-digits in kills, led by Callahan’s 15.  Freshman Courtney Anglemyer compiled a .391 hitting percentage with 11 kills and four blocks.  Senior Beth Robbins totaled 58 assists, 18 digs and four blocks while junior libero Kyleigh Turner had 21 digs.

 

Indianapolis (17-4, 6-2) plays its third home match in as many days with a 3 pm contest against Missouri S&T Saturday, part of a full day of homecoming festivities on the UIndy campus.