ST. LOUIS – The UIndy volleyball team (13-13, 6-6 GLVC) spoiled senior night for Maryville (17-11, 4-8 GLVC) and clinched a spot in the conference tournament this afternoon after corralling a four set win over the Saints.
 
Grace Hegwood emerged with a solid performance after earning a double-double at 15 kills and 17 digs, her ninth of the season. The duo of Alex Equihua and Claire Morris notched 25 and 18 assists, respectively, while five different Hounds tallied double-digit digs with MaKenna Barnhart guiding the team with 21.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hounds came out of the gate hot and never looked back in the 25-15 set one victory. Most notably, with the score tied 4-4 early on, UIndy proceeded to rattle off a blistering 16-4 scoring run in front of the crowd at the Moloney Arena to reach 20 points before the Saints could even score in the double-digits. UIndy locked down Maryville, who managed a forgetful .050 hitting percentage in the opening frame.
 
Not to be denied on its home floor, Maryville battled strong in set two and had the match all tied up at 14 with the halfway point passed. However, UIndy accomplished another productive scoring run right after this, going for five-straight points and providing some cushion heading into the home stretch. Despite the Saints battling back and trailing by only one with a few points left, UIndy weathered the storm and took set two by a 25-21 final.
 
Set three was a back-and-forth battle as the scoreboard notably read 15-15 at one point. However, Maryville went on to roll out a 5-0 scoring run right after this to force a Greyhound timeout. UIndy quickly answered back with four straight points of its own to cut into the deficit, but the Saints ultimately held on to win the set by a slim 26-24 mark.
 
UIndy had no problem closing the match out in the final set, jumping out to a convincing 14-3 lead early on. Much like the opening frame, the Hounds collected 20 points on the scoreboard before the Saints could get in the double-digit column. This eventually rolled over into the 25-16 set victory and clinched the Greyhounds a spot in the conference tournament for a 22nd consecutive year.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- UIndy notched a .196 hitting percentage while Maryville hit .107.
- The Hounds led the afternoon with 24 total blocks and the Saints had just 16.
- The Greyhounds earned a game-high 10 service aces with Hegwood leading at four.
 
UP NEXT
The Hounds will square off against third-seeded Rockhurst on Thursday evening at 9:30 p.m. ET from the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Ill., in a quarterfinal contest. The winner will advance to the semifinals, which aare scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET.