LIBERTY, Mo. – The UIndy volleyball team fought its way back into the win column on Saturday, toughening out a four-set win over a gritty William Jewell team.
 
The Greyhounds eked out a victory in the third game before Grace Hegwood finished off the win in the fourth with an engineer-like tip over the Cardinal block.
 
Despite only seeing the floor half the time – due to being a middle blocker – Hannah Sabotin led all players with 17 kills on .600 hitting. The Columbus, Ind., native leads the team with a whopping .484 attacking percentage, while averaging nearly 2.9 kills/set.
 

HEGWOOD with the tip & finish for the win! pic.twitter.com/k6egerMijl

— UIndy Volleyball (@UIndyVball) September 30, 2023

INS & OUTS
Although Sabotin and Sophia Parlanti – 12 kills, .333 hitting percentage – were highlights for the UIndy offense on Saturday, the story of the match was Jewell's unforced errors to help fuel the visitors to victory. The Cardinals committed 16 attacking errors not blocked by Greyhound hands, while also recording 12 service miscues, one ball-handling mistake and one blocking blunder.
 
UIndy indeed put the contest away in the fourth frame, hitting .310 as a team with 15 kills and just two errors. Ellie Spang, on top of her team-best 16 digs, tallied two of her three service aces in the deciding set, assisting a Greyhound offense that was firing on all cylinders.
 
Hegwood found her groove in the final game, recording four of her nine kills during the stretch.
 
Setter Claire Morris dished out 44 assists, adding nine digs and three kills to her stat line. Saturday marks the seventh time this season the Greyhounds have hit at least .268 in a match with Morris as the setter. Overall, UIndy is attacking at a .273 rate this season.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Sabotin has now finished with double-digit kills on seven occasions this fall.
- Hegwood remains a viable backrow player, scooping up 14 Jewell attacks in the win.
- Elizabeth Eads helped fuel the middle dominance, adding six kills.
- UIndy recorded 59 points compared to Jewell's 70, accounting for the Cardinals handing the Hounds 30 points in unforced errors.
 
ON ANOTHER NOTE
The Greyhounds improve to 12-0 all-time against the Cardinals; each of the past four meetings have been decided in four sets.

HOUND BYTES
Head coach Jason Reed on the win...
"This was a huge win for us. Winning is hard and this conference is so tough. We showed a lot of resiliency last night and today. After losing the second set, we had to regroup and figure out how to be successful. We started passing better and got our middles going as a result of that great passing."

Reed on what it means moving forward...
"This is a match that is uncomfortable in September, but we'll be glad we gained this experience come November. I'm really proud of this group this weekend."
 
UP NEXT
UIndy returns home for a pair of league matches prior to the annual Midwest Region Crossover. The Greyhounds host No. 4 Missouri-St. Louis on Friday evening from Ruth Lilly Fitness Center for a 6 p.m. serve.