INDIANAPOLIS – It was always going to be a fight, but the UIndy volleyball team (11-5, 6-2 GLVC) won the battle on Saturday afternoon over No. 11 Lewis (12-4, 6-2 GLVC) in five sets in front of a large Homecoming crowd.
 
The Greyhounds won the second and third sets after dropping the opener before trailing 11-4 in the final frame. UIndy earned 11 of the next 12 points to seal the win, its second victory over a ranked opponent this season.
 
The last time the Greyhounds took down the Flyers was 2014 in Romeoville, Ill. Before Saturday, UIndy had managed just one set against Lewis the past four seasons.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Taylor Jacquay led the Hounds with 15 kills on .286 hitting, and reached double-figure kills for the first time in three matches. The sophomore also scooped up 13 digs and tallied one service ace.
 
Lewis looked to take a 2-0 advantage after leading as late as 17-12. Kills by Jacquay and Katie Voelz late in the frame knotted it at one set apiece before the Hounds fended off the Flyers in the third game to grab the 2-1 lead. After surrendering the first six points of the final set, the Greyhounds forced the visiting Flyers into their last timeout as 12-12. Lewis had two attack errors thereafter before the senior Voelz finished the match with a kill.
 
Emily Ellis and Katie Furlong each recorded 10 kills in the win, with Furlong snagging the team's lone solo block of the day. Ellis was in on two stops for the Greyhounds, while Voelz had a team-high five blocks.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The win is head coach Jason Reed's 100th-career victory, all coming in the Circle City. Since taking over the program, the Greyhounds have defeated six ranked opponents, including two this season.
- Olivia Martin scooped up another 38 digs against the Flyers, while assisting on eight kills. The sophomore is just 56 digs away from being in the program's top five as a second-year player.
- Ellis reached 10 kills for the third time this season on .333 hitting, and has hit at least .304 in each match she has recorded double-digit putaways.
- Saturday marks just the second time UIndy has defeated Lewis in Reed's six seasons.
 
HOUND BYTES
Head coach Jason Reed on the team's perseverance...
"I just want to say how proud I am; this team doesn't quit. They figure out a way to win, then they'll get punched in the mouth, and then regroup and find another way to win."
 
On it being a team win...
"It's really cool to see different girls step up. Julia Kruzan was hitting negative heading into the fourth set, and I know the final numbers don't stand out, but it's a testament to sticking with the process and never giving up. Katie Furlong ended the night hitting .000 with only 10 kills, but she came up big with a kill in the fifth set and she comes up with great passing. Those are things that don't come up in the stat sheet.
 
"Taylor Jacquay had an unbelievable match today. Katie Voelz had an unbelievable match today. Emily Ellis. You just go down the line. You can't say we just relied on any one player. It's a team win. It's been a really, really fun group to work with."
 
Katie Voelz on what she told the team after being down 6-0 in the fifth set...
"I went in the huddle and told the team that it's one point at a time. We just have to chip away. We are so mentally and physically prepared for a fifth set. We do not lose in Ruth Lilly.
 
Taylor Jacquay on the win...
"I can't even put it into words. We worked so hard in practice this week. It couldn't have been better for Jason for this to happen at home. This win is huge for our confidence. Being down 11-4 just shows we never give up. And our defense today was amazing. Everyone did their job."
 
Voelz on what the win means...
It's about the work you put in in the off season. We are the hardest working team in the GLVC in the offseason. Since we moved on campus for this fall season, we've been talking about respect. We went out there today and earned that win. Nobody can say that they played terrible; they played well. They had all the pieces and they know how to beat us.
 
"We're on the radar now. We're back."
 
UP NEXT
The Greyhounds will step outside of conference play next Wednesday and head to No. 20 Wheeling Jesuit. The match is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Wheeling, W. Va.