RENSSELAER, Ind. – The UIndy volleyball program continued its dominance against in-state rival Saint Joseph's Tuesday night, winning 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-23) for a remarkable 27th-straight victory over the Pumas.

The impressive streak began back on Sept. 14, 2001, with a 3-0 home victory. Since that match, UIndy is 27-0 against Saint Joseph's and has taken 81 of 89 sets played.

UIndy (6-11, 3-4 GLVC) nearly needed more than three sets to handle the Pumas, falling behind 22-16 in the third frame. A 9-0 Puma run forced Head Coach Jason Reed to burn both timeouts, but his squad answered with a 9-1 run of their own to steal the set and seal the match. Freshman Kate Bontrager slammed home her team-high ninth kill to deliver the match point.

Statistically, Saint Joseph's (5-10, 0-7) and UIndy were nearly identical – finishing within three of each other in kills, assists, digs and blocks. But other than the late push from the Pumas in the third set the Greyhounds controlled the scoreboard.  

"Tonight we did a great job of controlling the match," Reed said, following the victory. "We have been passing well and our hitters are working hard to find ways to score. On the other side of the net I thought we lined up well on their attack and played solid defense."

Following Bontrager offensively was junior Becca Lira, who tallied eight kills, and junior Shelby Ruffner and sophomore Kacee Salyers who each recorded six. Freshman setter Maggie Gibson – making her fourth career start – finished with 26 assists.

Gibson also led the team with 12 digs to complete the double-double. Senior Hailey Brown (nine digs) and freshman Bri Heffernan (eight) followed defensively.

"This was a really good team win for us on the road in a great environment," Reed noted. "I'm hoping we can get some confidence from the win and carry it over to our next matches."

The Greyhounds return home from a six-match road swing, hosting Illinois Springfield Friday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. and McKendree Saturday, Oct. 10, at 3 p.m. in the Ruth Lilly Fitness Center. Friday's match against the Prairie Stars is UIndy's annual Dig Pink match.

NOTES
- Saint Joseph's and UIndy have now met 77 times dating back to 1978. UIndy leads the all-time series 49-28. The last SJC win over UIndy was Nov. 4, 2000.
- Of the 27 victories since 2001, 19 have now come in straight sets.
- The Greyhounds and Pumas meet later this season in the Ruth Lilly Fitness Center (Nov. 10).
- Bontrager led the team in kills for the second time in as many matches, finishing with nine on 20 swings after recording a career-high 11 in Saturday's win over Kentucky State. In her last three matches Bontrager has 25 of her 28 total kills this season.
- Gibson's double-double was the second of her young career, the first coming Saturday at No. 23 Lewis (23 assists, 10 digs).