EAST PEORIA, Ill. – Those in attendance at the opening match of the 2015 Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament were not disappointed, as the UIndy Greyhounds downed Missouri S&T 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21) in thrilling fashion at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria, Ill.

The Greyhounds (16-16) entered the tournament as the East Division three-seed, drawn to face the Miners (22-11), the West's two-seed and victor when the teams met earlier this season (Sept. 21).

But Friday's quarterfinal was a must-win for the Hounds, and they responded by being the more assertive team right from the opening serve.

The Greyhounds pulled out a 25-21 victory in a marathon first set that lasted nearly one hour. After the Hounds took a 10-8 lead, time was called to fix a rotation discrepancy, and for over 15 minutes action was suspended while officials sorted out the error. When play resumed, UIndy used a quick 4-1 run to force a Miner timeout and spark the opening set victory.

Taking the opening set was a good sign for the Crimson and Grey. Entering the GLVC Tournament, the Hounds were 14-1 in matches in which they won the first game.

In the second set S&T took early control of the scoreboard, and eventually doubled up the Greyhounds with an 18-9 lead that seemed to suggest a runaway victory. UIndy was resilient, however, pulling off an 11-2 run to get within two at 22-20. The Miners would avoid the letdown, tying the match with a 25-22 win.

UIndy regained the match lead with a narrow 25-23 victory in a thrilling third frame. After leading for most of the set, the Hounds fell behind 18-17 as the Miners ripped off a 10-3 run midway through. Back and forth the teams went, until sophomore Kacee Salyers delivered four kills within five points to lift UIndy to the set victory.

Salyers kept it rolling in the fourth, recording six kills on seven attempts. Freshman Kate Bontrager was close behind with five, and the Greyhounds held S&T to a match-low .182 en route to a 25-21 match-clinching win. Salyers and Bontrager teamed up to block Shelby Wagner's attack attempt to seal the 25th point.

Salyers was huge for UIndy, leading the team with 18 kills and a stellar .361 (18-5-36) attack percentage. Junior Becca Lira (14) and freshman Kate Bontrager (12) also finished with double-digit kills.

Recently-named GLVC Freshman of the Year Maggie Gibson lived up to the billing, matching a career-high with 54 assists while notching her 11th double-double of the season, adding 12 digs.

Senior captain Hailey Brown led the back row with 21 digs, and junior Shelby Ruffner totaled three blocks.

The Greyhounds now await the winner of McKendree and Southern Indiana, and will be back in action tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET.