INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy volleyball team bounced back into the win column with a sweep of McKendree on Saturday afternoon from Ruth Lilly Fitness Center.
 
The Greyhounds opened Homecoming Saturday with the victory, preceding the football team's kickoff with William Jewell at 6 p.m. at Key Stadium.
 
Freshman libero Ellie Spang shined in the back row, scooping up 20 digs, including nine in the opening game. Lauren Cullison and Grace Hegwood led the match with 10 kills, while Sophia Parlanti attacked at a .364 clip with nine finishes.
 

Starting homecoming with a SWEEP! ???? pic.twitter.com/xuwY9lKYCO

— UIndy Volleyball (@UIndyVball) October 7, 2023

INS & OUTS
The defense set the tone in the first set, as McKendree committed nine attacking errors to just four kills. UIndy made 23 digs on 38 Bearcat attacks, Parlanti tallying half of her scoops in the frame, while Claire Morris was next with four.
 
In what could have been a big momentum shift late in the second set, the Greyhounds dodged a comeback effort from the Bearcats. A kill from Emma McIlhargie knotted the set at 23 apiece, but Hegwood knocked down a Morris pass to halt the run.
 
It was all Hounds in the final frame, as the hosts – wearing sleeveless black jerseys – hit .464 as a unit with 15 kills. Cullison recorded five of her kills in the set, while Hannah Sabotin joined Hegwood with three.
 
INSIDE THE BOX
- Morris finished with 36 assists, adding seven digs, three blocks, and two kills.
- Macy Bruton saw action in her fourth match of her freshman campaign during the win, recording one dig and one service ace.
- The Hounds have now held their opponent to sub-.100 hitting in nine contests this fall.
- Defensive specialist Lauren Peal finished with five digs, as well as a heads-up kill on an overpass in the third set.
 
MORE NOTES
UIndy now leads the all-time series, 12-6, and has won seven of the last eight meetings … Spang has now made 20 or more digs three times this season … Parlanti was just one kill shy of her eighth double-double of the fall.
 
HOUND BYTES
Parlanti on the team's bounce back…
"I'm really proud of our team, that's for sure. There was a bit of a dip, but in the first and third sets we really executed what we've been practicing all week. Communication picked back up to where we wanted in the third set."
 
UP NEXT
The Greyhounds await their opponents for next weekend's annual Midwest Region Crossover, with programs from the GLVC, GLIAC, and G-MAC all meeting in Hammond, Ind., for the event.
 
UIndy will battle three in-region teams from the Hammond Sportsplex across Friday and Saturday.