EAST PEORIA, Ill. – The UIndy volleyball team (21-8) earned its first GLVC Championship Tournament win in four years on Friday evening, downing Drury (17-16) in five sets to move onto the conference semifinals.
 
Katie Furlong led all attackers with 23 kills, while Alyssa Spears handed out 59 assists. Freshman defensive specialist Gillian Santana scooped up a match-high 24 digs in the win.
 
During the match, Spears surpassed 4,000 career assists, while Furlong reached 1,000 career kills.
 


HOW IT HAPPENED
The Greyhounds claimed the odd sets in the victory, including the clincher that was sparked by a Santana dig-to-kill combination. It was libero MaKenna Barnhart, however, that led the team with five digs in the fifth set to lead the defense, while Spears added three blocks to her 59 total assists.
 
In total, six Greyhounds tallied a kill in the final frame, with Furlong scoring three.
 
It was a back-and-forth battle all night, as the match saw 27 ties and 11 lead changes throughout the five sets. Taylor Jacquay totaled seven of her 16 kills in the opening frame, while she also led the team with five in the third-set victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-Spears recorded her 4,000th career assist in the third set, tallying the helper on a kill from Furlong
-The junior outside hitter did not take long to putaway her 1,000th career kill, as Furlong bounced the score in the fourth frame
-Santana's 24 digs was just one from her season-high 25, which came against Southern Indiana on Oct. 25
-Dishing out a match-best 59 assists wasn't all for Spears on Friday, as the senior recorded her 11th double-double of the season with 17 digs added to her stat line
-Middles Hannah Huppenbauer and Kyra Simmons combined for 19 kills and 10 blocks against the Panthers
 
MORE NOTES
Drury recorded 21 total stops in the loss, including 32 block assists to nearly match a program record … Furlong's 23 kills is the fourth time this season she has totaled at least 20 … the Greyhounds scooped up 93 Drury attacks, with Barnhart (19) and Jena Davis (13) chipping in double-figure digs … the win marked UIndy's first conference tournament win in four years, as the Greyhounds last claimed a victory on Nov. 21, 2015.
 
UP NEXT
UIndy will look to avenge an earlier loss to No. 21 Rockhurst on Saturday evening in the GLVC Championship Tournament semifinals. First serve between the Greyhounds and Hawks is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. from the EastSide Centre.