CEDARVILLE, Ohio – UIndy volleyball dropped a five-set match 3-2 (17-25, 26-24, 25-21, 23-25, 15-12) against regional opponent Cedarville Tuesday night.

The Yellow Jackets (2-3), playing in front of 1,176 fans in the Callan Athletic Center, took the final set 15-12 and handed the Hounds their second Midwest regional loss of the young season.  

UIndy leaned on its defense in the 25-17 opening-set win, totaling five blocks and 19 digs while holding Cedarville to just a .071 hitting percentage. Freshman Katie Voelz alone had four block assists. Offensively, junior Natalie Wichern spread the ball around to allow five individuals to record multiple kills, and the team to hit an accurate .344.

Cedarville won a close second set that featured 10 ties and six lead changes, 26-24, after UIndy rallied from down 24-20 to nearly steal it. The Yellow Jackets then rolled that into a 25-21 victory in the third. UIndy led 13-8, but the Yellow Jackets rallied to go on an 8-2 run and take an insurmountable lead. The Hounds hit -.034 in the set, totaling only six kills in part due to five blocks from Cedarville.

Their backs against the wall, the Crimson and Grey forced a fifth set with a tough 25-23 win in set four, a game that had five ties and a pair of lead changes.

The Yellow Jackets raced to a 5-0 lead in the decisive final set, forcing a Jason Reed timeout. UIndy responded with three straight points to get back in the game, and later came back again from a five-point deficit, but it wasn't enough to hold off the Yellow Jackets in their home opener.

Despite hitting .344 in the first set the Hounds hit just .177 for the match, hindered by 13 team blocks from Cedarville. UIndy held the Yellow Jackets to .178 hitting with season highs in blocks (12) and digs (72) as a squad.

Junior Shelby Ruffner and sophomore Kacee Salyers recorded seven block assists apiece, and Voelz finished with five. Freshman libero Bri Heffernan and senior Hailey Brown led the squad with 18 digs each.

Brown also led the Hounds with 13 kills, followed by Voelz's 10 and .438 attack percentage. Wichern tallied a career-best 43 assists to go along with nine digs, four kills and three block assists.

The Greyhounds only have one day off before hosting the uber-competitive UIndy Tournament in Nicoson Hall Sept. 10-12. UIndy first faces No. 10 Wheeling Jesuit Thursday at 7:00 p.m., and will meet No. 6 Colorado Mines, No. 3 Minnesota Duluth and Ashland before the weekend is over.

NOTES
- Cedarville holds an 11-5 all-time series lead over UIndy, but the Greyhounds have won four of the last six meetings.