INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy volleyball team (4-1) kept its winning streak alive on the first day of the 2022 UIndy Invitational, picking up wins over in-region Ohio Dominican and perennial NCAA-tournament program Bentley from inside the Ruth Lilly Fitness Center.
 
Friday marked the first time the Greyhounds competed in game action on the brand new court, earning a five-set, comeback victory against Bentley to cap the evening. UIndy shut down Ohio Dominican in the afternoon, dominating three of the match's four frames.
 
Grace Hegwood shined in the night cap, recording a season-high 15 kills with a .406 attack clip to lead UIndy past the Falcons. The victory over Bentley also marked the team's 15th five-set triumph in the past 18 tries at home.
 
UIndy 3, Ohio Dominican 1
Despite going to a fourth set, the Greyhounds dominated the Panthers from the start, led by Sophia Parlanti's match-high 10 kills on .333 hitting. The sophomore transfer recorded four kills in each of the first two frames, while also finishing with four digs.
 
UIndy featured a balanced attack, as Elizabeth Eads joined Hegwood with nine kills, while Hannah Sabotin and Sara Spalding each knocked down six. In addition to her contributions on the attack, Spalding dished out 27 assists and made 11 scoops.
 
The second set was the highlight for the Greyhounds, with the hosts hitting at a .567 clip. MaKenna Barnhart also tallied six of her 15 digs in the frame.
 
UIndy 3, Bentley 2
UIndy did not give up after trailing 2-0 in the final match of the evening. Hegwood knocked down seven of her 15 kills in the third to fuel a Greyhound attack that hit .433, before leading an impressive 10-point run in the fourth.
 
During that stretch, Hegwood served to the tune of 10 consecutive points, which included two of her five aces on the evening. Also in the fourth set, Eads recorded four kills and hit .800 from the middle to help force a deciding game.
 
It was all Greyhounds in the finale, limiting Bentley to a -.087 hitting percentage with five attacking errors on 23 attempts. Lauren Peal and the libero Barnhart each tallied four digs, while the group at the net blocked three of the Falcons' swings.
 

?? | Sabotin with the KILL to give @UIndyVball a comeback five-set dub! pic.twitter.com/ElHO9ID6jd

— UIndy Athletics (@UIndyAthletics) September 3, 2022

 INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Gillian Santana reached the 1,000-dig milestone as a Greyhound. The La Porte, Ind., product now sits just 103 scoops from top 15 in program history.
- Sabotin, who delivered the knockout kill against Bentley, finished with 13 finishes on .360 hitting, while contributing to four blocks.
- Spalding added another double-double to her season line, recording 41 assists and 10 digs.
- In addition to her nine kills against Ohio Dominican, Hegwood made 11 scoops in four sets of action.
- Lauren Cullison was quiet but effective in the tournament opener, chipping in 10 kills and four blocks against the Panthers.
 
UP NEXT
The Greyhounds battle a pair of programs from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on Saturday, with Minnesota State on deck at 9 a.m. in Ruth Lilly. UIndy will then end the Invite with Minnesota Duluth at 3 p.m.
 
Both matches will be streamed live on GLVCSN.com/UIndy.