FRANKFORT, Ky. – After a close first set, the UIndy volleyball team cruised to a sweep of Kentucky State on Tuesday night against Kentucky State.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UIndy rattled off four straight points late in the first frame to take 24-22 lead before allowing two points to the home team. Fortunately for the Greyhounds, a kill by Julia Kruzan and service ace by Olivia Martin secured the comeback victory. UIndy won the second and third sets 25-12 and 25-21, respectively.
 
The Greyhounds hit above .300 for the second consecutive match as they attacked at a .302 clip during the sweep of the Thorobreds. The team had 41 kills on the night with Kruzan leading the way with a match-high 10 successful attacks.
 
UIndy suffered just two attacking errors in each of the final two sets. Six other Greyhounds had at least four kills, including Teigan Flaws and Lauren Koopman with six.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The Greyhounds recorded nine service aces as a team. Alexis Waugh paced UIndy with three, while Jena Davis had a pair. Along with Martin, Jordyn Barrette, Mary Grace Ertel, and Taylor Jacquay each had one. As a team, it is the most service aces in a match this season.
 
Waugh had 24 assists in the three-setter, the sixth time this season the transfer has reached the 20-plateau and has now done it in four straight matches. It is just the second time in 2017 that two players did not have double-digit dimes in a match.
 
Ertel had five kills against the Thorobreds, the most this season. So far in 2017, Ertel has tallied seven kills after primarily seeing action as a libero her freshman campaign.
 
Ertel (10) and Martin (13) each had double-digit digs on the night, the fourth time two players have done it for the Greyhounds this season. Overall, Martin has recorded at least 11 digs in 10 matches this season, while this was the second contest for Ertel.
 
HOUND BYTES
Coach Reed: "We had a great team win tonight and show some mental fortitude against a scrappy Kentucky State team. We had to fight from down five points in the first set and really stole it [away] from them. That first-set win proved to be huge for our confidence to play our game moving forward."
 
"I think a big reason for our win tonight is because of Mary Grace. She came into the match in the middle of the first set when we were down and gave us some great leadership. She brought a calming influence to the floor. Her stat line looks great, but the real story is her leadership."
 
"Julia had a big match for us; she was nearly mistake-free. That's what she's done for us most of the year so it's no surprise [it happened again]. She's here as our silent assassin on the right side."
 
"We're looking forward to getting back to work this week and preparing for the next test [against No. 3 Lewis]. We have been getting better each day and that's our focus. Today was a very important step in our journey."
 
UP NEXT
UIndy welcomes No. 3 Lewis to Ruth Lilly Fitness Center this Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. to get back into GLVC action. The Flyers have been ranked inside the top three since the 2017 season began. The Greyhounds have improved to 6-5 overall.