HAMMOND, Ind. - The UIndy volleyball team dropped a pair of 4-set contests at the 16th annual Midwest Region Crossover on Friday night.
The Greyhound snagged a set in each match against regional foes Findlay and Northern Michigan from the Hammond Sportsplex in northwest Indiana.
Findlay 3, UIndy 1
The Greyhounds gained the early advantage over the Oilers in a close 25-23 first frame. The Hounds rallied off 10 unanswered points in the middle of the set, with senior
Kayla Guthrie totaling three kills and sophomore
Riley Laine recording two blocks during the run.
Laine smacked down the set-winning kill after Findlay rattled off five consecutive points, building momentum for the rest of the match. The Oilers went on to win three straight frames to secure the victory.
Senior
Sophia Parlanti led the Greyhound offense, hitting .302 with 18 kills. Three other Hounds reached double-digit kill, including freshman
Madeline Lynch (12), Laine (11), and Guthrie (10). Redshirt-junior
Claire Morris picked up 50 assists in the loss.
On defense, sophomore libero
Ellie Spang had 20 digs against the Oilers. Senior
Lauren Peal and sophomore Macy Burton picked up 12 digs apiece. Four Greyhounds contributed aces during the match-up - sophomore
Allie Wuestenfeld, Peal, Bruton, and Spang.
Northern Michigan 3, UIndy 1
The Wildcat offense was on fire Friday, reeling off a comeback five-set victory over Findlay earlier in the offense. Northern Michigan attacked at an impressive .352 clip over the first two sets to build a lead it would fail to surrender.
UIndy came alive in the third, scoring six consecutive points to pull away from Northern Michigan late in the game. Parlanti contributed three kills in the process, while Laine joined
Maddie Berger for one each.
Back-to-back kills from Berger, followed by a Wildcat error, forced an NMU timeout as the teams were knotted at 19 apiece late in the fourth frame; however, the home team on the scoreboard buckled down, scoring four of the final five points to seal the win.
Morris picked up her seventh double-double of the fall with 39 assists and 12 digs, while Spang led the team with 15 scoops and three service aces.
UP NEXT
UIndy awaits its Saturday opponent and match time at the announcement by the conference offices later this evening.
