ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The UIndy volleyball team opened the Triton Invitational on Friday with a pair of tough losses, including a five-set defeat against Nova Southeastern and sweep to host Eckerd in the nightcap.

Both matchups marked the programs' third all-time meeting and their first since 2010. UIndy now leads the all-time series, 2-1, against both Nova Southeastern and Eckerd.

Nova Southeastern 3, UIndy 2
The first set opened with a strong showing from the Greyhounds, as Maddie Lynch's early kill and service ace from Paige Parlanti helped the team to a 2-0 lead. They maintained control with contributions from Lauren Gips and Makenzie Pflederer, who each recorded multiple kills. The Greyhounds closed out the set strong, highlighted by Allie Wuestenfeld's service ace.

Nova Southeastern took an early 3-0 lead in the second set, but a block by Pflederer and Gips initiated a shift in momentum. The Greyhounds responded with a series of strong plays, including Lynch's kill from Carly Fonda to even the score. They then went on a dominant 10-1 run, with kills from Kaitlin Fasbender and Parlanti, including service aces from Lynch and Lucia Brown, to extend their lead to 16-6. The team maintained control to snag a commanding 2-0 advantage.

The Sharks fought back to force a fifth and deciding frame with back-to-back set wins. Fasbender and Lynch contributed kills to keep the score even. Parlanti terminated her 14th and final kill to knot the game at 14 apiece, but Nova Southeastern rattled off consecutive points to complete the reverse sweep.

Gips led the defensive effort with six total blocks over the five sets, while fellow middle Fasbender was efficient on the attack with nine kills on 15 attempts.

Eckerd 3, UIndy 0
The first set began with an early advantage for the visiting team as Lynch secured the first point with a kill, assisted by Allie Wuestenfeld. The Greyhounds maintained a slim lead early on, highlighted by a Pflederer kill and service error by Eckerd's Kinga Michalska pushed the score to 7-4. Despite the Greyhounds' efforts, including several key plays from Paige Parlanti, Eckerd capitalized on a series of errors to rally back and eventually take the lead at 15-14. The home team then extended their advantage with a decisive run, overcoming the Greyhounds' resistance, and closed out the set 25-18 with Hayden Nash's kill.

Despite an early point in the second, the team faced a challenging stretch as Eckerd capitalized on a series of plays to take a big lead. The Greyhounds attempted to close the gap with contributions from Parlanti and Lynch, each securing kills from Fonda's assists. However, Eckerd maintained control, concluding the set 25-13.

The host Tritons launched a scoring run, extending their lead to 15-5 with a series of kills and blocks. Despite a late effort from the Greyhounds, Eckerd maintained their momentum and secured the set 25-11.

UP NEXT
UIndy wraps up its time in the Sunshine State tomorrow with contests scheduled against Saint Leo and Edward Waters at the McArthur Center.