INDIANAPOLIS – UIndy volleyball wrapped up the 2014 regular season with a convincing 3-0 (25-15, 25-27, 25-13) win on Senior Day over the visiting Bellarmine Knights Sunday afternoon.
Seniors
Meghan Binkerd,
Arielle Knafel,
Kimberly Trojan and
Julia Watkins were honored prior to the match in celebration of their time in Indianapolis. As a class, they improved to 98-35 overall, good for a .736 winning percentage.
The victory was the 60th conference win for the seniors, as well, capping their fourth consecutive 15-3 GLVC season and locking up the top spot in the East division for the upcoming Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.
"We're very proud of our four seniors and what they have accomplished here at UIndy," Head Coach
Jason Reed said following the match. "They have each brought a level of accomplishment and leadership to the team, and it's clearly seen in the impression they've made on and off the court. They also have a ton of postseason experience which will be a big help for us over the next few weeks."
The Knights (12-15, 5-13 GLVC) ran into a hot-hitting Greyhound squad in the opening set. UIndy (17-9, 15-3) totaled 15 kills and 3 errors on 28 swings (.429), and got multiple kills from five separate players as it went on to win 25-15.
It was much of the same in the second, as UIndy managed to hit .355 (15-4-31) in the 25-17 set victory, led by Knafel's 6 kills and Binkerd's 12 assists.
UIndy then hit .302 (18-5-43) to Bellarmine's .000 (4-4-36) in the decisive third set, running away with a 25-13 win. Junior
Hailey Brown stole the spotlight with 9 of her team-high 17 kills in the frame.
Binkerd, a senior from Wabash, Ind., finished with 38 assists, extending her UIndy record to 5,496 career assists. She also tallied 14 digs, making her seventh all-time with 1,238 for her career.
Knafel, from nearby Greenwood, Ind., finished second on the squad with 14 kills, and hit an even .500 (14-0-28).
Trojan, from LaPorte, Ind., once again set the tone defensively with 17 digs, increasing her career total to 1,284, sixth-most all-time.
Watkins made her first appearance since suffering an ankle injury against Hillsdale back on Oct. 18. The Indian Head Park, Ill. native contributed a block assist and a pair of kills in the Hounds' sweep.
The Greyhounds now aim for a GLVC Championship repeat next weekend at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Ill., as the No. 1 seed in the East. The entire field will be released later this evening.
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