TOLEDO, Ohio -- Utilizing a .291 hitting percentage, the IUPUI volleyball team won their season opener for the first time since 2005, sweeping Toledo, 3-0, in the second game of the Clarion Hotel Westgate Rocket Classic at John F. Savage Hall.
IUPUI (1-0) blitzed the Rockets with a fierce offensive attack, winning 30-20, 30-16, 31-29. Senior Devika Bellamy led the offense with 15 kills while hitting at a .286 clip.
The Jaguars jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the first game, capitalizing on several Toledo attack errors. Bellamy had four kills in the opening game, while sophomore Danielle Goodnight assisted on four points and contributed two kills. IUPUI extended its lead to 21-12, causing Toledo to burn a timeout before the Jags pushed the lead to 27-17, forcing another Rocket timeout.
For the game, Toledo hit at a -.105 clip, recording only nine kills in 38 attempts.
In game two, freshman Lauran Thompson helped the Jaguars dominate, tallying four kills while hitting .375. As a team, the Jags hit .433, keyed by Thompson, senior Carol Newell, who hit .500 with three kills, and sophomores Ashley Johnson and Monica Suding.
Johnson had two of her seven kills in the match while posting three block assists. Suding hit 1.000 with two of her six kills and another block assist, as IUPUI forced Toledo into hitting -.075 in the second game.
Given a 2-0 advantage, IUPUI capitalized on a late Rocket error to clinch the match. With Toledo holding match point at 29-28, head coach Steve Payne called a timeout - the Rockets followed with a service error, and the Jaguars took the next two points on a kill by Bellamy and a block by Johnson and Bellamy to record the win.
Bellamy had seven kills in the third game, while Suding and Johnson had four and three, respectively, in the middle of the court. Goodnight chipped in with 11 assists to finish with a team-best 23.
Also setting for the Jaguars was redshirt sophomore Rachel Holmes saw her first game action in two years, chipping in eight assists. Junior Chelsea Bastin keyed the defense in the backcourt, coming up with a team-high 12 digs.
The Jaguars will be back in action tonight at 5 p.m. when they take on Cleveland State in their second game of the tournament. IUPUI will face Bradley University at 10 a.m. and Xavier University at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
