INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy volleyball team (5-2) closed out its annual Invitational with a split on Friday, sweeping Minnesota State in the morning to finish the weekend with a 3-1 record.
GAME 1 | UIndy 3, Minnesota State 0
It was a thrilling three-set sweep for the Greyhounds in the morning matchup against the Mavericks of Minnesota State, notching the team's fifth straight win. In set one, the MSU jumped to a quick 2-0 lead but from that point it was a Greyhound show as they went put up eight points to the Mavericks one leading into a MSU timeout.
The Hounds continued their domination, allowing only one stretch of back-to-back points for the rest of the first. UIndy strung together point after point, ending with a six-point finisher, to capture set one, 25-10.
Grace Hegwood led the Hounds in kills in the set with four.
The Mavericks did not lay down quietly in set two, jumping out to a 11-5 lead. The Greyhounds battled back, point-by-point till it was 15-14 with multiple kills coming from
Elizabeth Eads. From that point on it was a neck-and-neck game, with neither team establishing themselves with a lead of more than three.
Free volleyball was on deck as the teams pushed past the 25-point mark. Kills by
Hannah Sabotin and Eads kept UIndy in the game with the eventual decider coming on a double block by
Sophia Parlanti and Eads, making the final score 29-27.
The third kept that same energy with the Hounds and Mavericks both locked in up to the 10-10 mark. A 4-1 MSU run was answered by UIndy's own 5-0 spurt. Sabotin and Hegwood threw in kills to hold off a run once again by the Mavericks, leaving the score 20-19 in the Hounds favor. It was once again a stretch by the Greyhounds to close out the sweep with Hegwood at the helm. Three straight kills by the Southside local put the lead at 23-19. She followed that up with a solo block right into a kill from
Sara Spalding to close the game, 25-19.
GAME 2 | #21 Minnesota Duluth 3, UIndy 0
In their second match of the day the Greyhounds lined up with the No. 21 team in the country in the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. The Bulldogs came out in the first set aggressive, seeing the score tied once and never giving in from that point, finishing 25-15. The Hounds battled in the second go around forcing five lead changes behind the back of several salvos, but ales the Bulldogs took the set 25-21.
To end the match, UIndy fought behind the continued excellence of Sabotin, opening up to a 3-2 advantage. The battle of the dogs was back in forth with three point stretches for each team, up until 10-12 mark for the Bulldogs. From that point the visitors went on a 17-8 run to close out the final set of the contest.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Hegwood dominated the kill category, tallying 20 between the two matches.
- Spalding had an assist on over 50 percent of UIndy's kills
- Parlanti led the Hounds in block assists against the Mavericks.
UP NEXT
UIndy stays with the theme of invitationals as they travel for the IUP Invite in Indiana, Penn. The action kicks off on Friday, Sept. 9 as the Hounds take on the Senators of Dave & Elkins College.
