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PENSACOLA, Fla. – Sophomore Arielle Knafel came off the bench to hit .667 with 13 kills as No. 19 UIndy volleyball's historic season came to a close against No. 7 Tampa, 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 27-25), in the NCAA D-II Volleyball Championship semifinals at the West Florida Field House.

The Greyhounds (31-8) won the third-most games in school history and advanced to the final four of Division II volleyball for the first time in school history. 

Knafel, an outside hitter for most of the season, was inserted as UIndy's right-side attacker after senior Kourtney Crawford suffered an ankle injury in pre-match warm-ups. The sophomore transfer from Norfolk State shined against the Spartans (32-3) for the second time this season after she had 21 kills in UIndy's victory over Tampa, 3-2, on August 31 at West Florida.

Overall, UIndy couldn't slow the AVCA National Player of the Year as Danielle Selkridge finished with 18 kills hitting .567 and three blocks. The Spartans hit .345 as a team with 48 kills and nine blocks, while the Greyhounds countered with 45 kills on .250 attacking.

AVCA Third Team All-American Meghan Binkerd added 33 assists, 11 digs and five kills on .833 attacking, while AVCA First Team All-American Kristina Kerrigan had seven kills and eight digs. Junior Brittany Anglemyer hit .333 with nine kills, while sophomore Julia Watkins hit .333 with five kills on her 20th birthday.

Meagan Burke added 10 kills on .571 hitting for the Spartans, while Kahley Patrick had 34 assists and Frances Cardenas led all players with 13 digs.

The first set was back-and-forth with UIndy holding the lead, 6-5, after a Knafel kill when Tampa scored the next point on a Selkridge kill to start a 6-0 run to lead by five, 11-6. Kills by Binkerd and Knafel followed by an ace from Amy Oldenburg pulled UIndy back within two, 11-9, but UIndy followed with four consecutive attack errors to fall behind by six, 15-9, and force head coach Jody Rogers to call her final timeout. The Greyhounds couldn't get any closer than four points as Tampa pulled away to take the opening set, 25-18.

The Spartans built on their momentum by racing to a 7-1 lead in the second set, but the Greyhounds fought back and closed within three, 11-8, on Kenzie Bruggeman's kill. Tampa rattled off the next two points and eventually built the lead to seven, 20-13, and were able to hang on to take the set, 25-20, despite a late UIndy rally.

The Greyhounds wouldn't go away in the third set and started fast with two kills from Knafel and one by Kerrigan to score the first three points and eventually went up by four, 5-1, after Knafel crushed an overpass by the Spartans. Tampa eventually found its footing and went on a 11-3 run to take a four-point lead, 15-11. UIndy wouldn't go away and closed within two on an Anglemyer kill and Bruggeman ace, 19-17. Tampa scored the next point, but then UIndy rattled off four of the next five to tie, 21-21, on Binkerd's ace.

UIndy couldn't get over the tie and faced match point, 24-23, after a Selkridge kill, but Anglemyer answered with a smash of her own to save and Trojan served an ace to give UIndy set point, 25-24, to keep the match alive. The Spartans were able to go back to the top player in Division II as Selkridge had a kill to save the set and then notched two more on the following points to knock UIndy out of the tournament, 27-25.

Knafel was at her best in the third set with seven kills on nine swings, while Anglemyer had four kills in five attacks.

The Greyhounds graduate a storied group of seniors in Crawford, Kerrigan and Oldenburg that led UIndy to a 121-27 record (.818), two regional championship (2009, 2012), two Great Lakes Valley Conference championships (2009, 2011) and the first final four appearance in school history. The Greyhounds will also return five players that started throughout the NCAA Tournament, including All-American Binkerd and All-GLVC selection Anglemyer.