HILLSDALE, Mich. – The UIndy volleyball team kicked off the season with a pair of in-region losses at the 2017 Hillsdale College Opener, held in Hillsdale, Mich. The Greyhounds (0-2) fell, 3-0, to Michigan Tech in the afternoon, followed by a 3-0 defeat to the host Chargers in the nightcap.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hounds ran into an efficient Michigan Tech squad in the opener. The Huskies (1-1) hit .312 for the match, including .452 in the third set, with sophomore MacAulay Peterson pacing all players with 13 kills on 20 swings.
 
UIndy had its best chance in the second. Though they gave up six of the first seven points and trailed by as much as six, the Hounds clawed back with a 5-1 run to make it 16-14. Later, they fought off three set points to force a Huskie timeout before ultimately falling 25-23 in the set.
 
The capper saw the Hounds take on the host Chargers. The match featured a combined 18 ties and six lead changes in the second and third sets. Newly-voted-captain Katie Voelz was the go-to option, compiling team highs with 12 kills and a .524 attack percentage to go with four block assists.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
vs. Michigan Tech
- Grad-transfer and former-Hillsdale-starter Alexis Waugh made her UIndy debut with 13 assists, six digs and one ace in her return to her former home court. She split time at setter with sophomore-transfer Alyssa Spears, who finished with 15 helpers, two digs and an ace.
 
vs. Hillsdale
- Freshman Olivia Martin racked up a game-high-tying 18 digs versus the Chargers. She now has 29 digs in her two collegiate matches.
- Waugh and Spears combined for 35 assists.
 
HOUND BYTES
From Coach Reed: "We saw some great individual performances today from Katie Voelz and Olivia Martin; all day long Mary Grace Ertel did her job. But despite the few individual performances, we lacked consistency throughout the day.
 
"We're frustrated because there wasn't a ton of glaring things. We made a lot of good adjustments when we made mistakes, but we kept making new mistakes. As we continue to grow those are going to iron out and we will find our stride.
 
"We've got a great group. I know we can bounce back tomorrow, and I think we will. We served the ball really well and started to find our passing rhythm as the day went on. As we get some consistency from the group on the floor, the wins will start to come."
 
UP NEXT
UIndy concludes play in Hillsdale with two more in-region contests. The Greyhounds will face Saginaw Valley at noon Eastern, followed by a match-up with Findlay at 4p.m. ET.