Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS -- Having lost a four-point lead late in the fourth set, it would have been easy for the IUPUI volleyball team to pack it in when trailing early in the fifth set.  However, the Jaguars dug deep, using a stout defense and a career night from Ashley Johnson to defeat IPFW, 3-2, Saturday night at The Jungle.

Johnson had a career-high 16 kills in the 26-24, 20-25, 25-20, 26-28, 15-10 victory.  Her .577 attack percentage was a new career-high as well and led all players.  Monica Suding chipped in with a career-high 9 digs, as the Jaguars totaled 88 digs on the evening to counter an IPFW front row that had 23 blocks on the night.

At the outset, the teams traded blows, with IPFW (11-10, 6-3 Summit) using the first run of the match to take an 11-7 lead, forcing Steve Payne's squad into an early timeout.  However, the Mastodons maintained a persistent attack, keeping the Jaguars on their heels and forcing another IUPUI timeout with the score 19-13 in favor of IPFW.

IUPUI (11-10, 4-4 Summit) worked their way back into the set with three straight points, the first two points coming off of Shari Bernhardt kills.  Rachel Holmes followed with a service ace to cut IUPUI's deficit to three, causing the Mastodons to take a timeout.

Still, IPFW could only push their lead to four over the next phase of play, and with the Mastodons at set point, a Kalyse Reimbold kill made it 24-22, IPFW.  A Mastodon error gave them no margin for error, and they took their final timeout of the set. 

Coming out of the break, Dana Gardner recorded her third kill of the set to square the set at 24.  With Danielle Goodnight serving, another IPFW error gave the Jaguars a set point, and Johnson converted with her third kill of the set, giving the Jaguars an early lead.

Entering the second set, the two teams traded points until a short 3-1 run by IUPUI forced IPFW into a timeout with the score 14-13.  The break seemed to help the Mastodons, as they went on a 7-3 run, punctuated by a Jessica Miller kill, making the score 20-17, IPFW, and causing Payne to burn a timeout.

However, IPFW maintained their momentum, taking the next two points to build a five-point cushion and forcing Payne into his final timeout.  A kill by Hillary Houston and a Goodnight ace briefly gave the Jaguars hope of another rally, but Mayara Schlindwein towered for a kill, giving IPFW a 25-20 set win, evening the match.

Following the eight-minute intermission, the teams traded runs early, with IPFW going on a 3-0 run to take a brief 10-9 lead, only to be followed by a 3-0 IUPUI run that made it 12-10, Jaguars.  The Jags were able to push their lead to 15-12 after a Suding kill, one of her 8 on the evening, forcing the Mastodons into a timeout.

Still, the Jaguars would not buckle, maintaining and building on their lead.  After IPFW cut the IUPUI lead to 18-17, the Jags used a service error and an attack error to go up 20-17 and cause another Mastodon timeout.  In a match full of rallies, there would be none in the third set, as Houston thwarted an IPFW attempt with a kill and Goodnight followed with an ace to put the Jags ahead, 22-18.  A Gardner kill, Houston service ace and another Gardner kill gave the Jaguars the pivotal third set, 25-20.

All IUPUI needed to do in the fourth set was close out IPFW to move to .500 in conference play.  And after the raised backboard helped IUPUI rally and win a point to make it 23-19, it appeared the Jaguars had caught one of those breaks that often help a team emerge victorious in a hard-fought match.

A Johnson kill setting up match point seemed to reinforce that notion, but IPFW had some magic of their own in the form of their front row.  The Mastodons came up with four consecutive points - two on blocks at the net - to stave off defeat.  And when another block set up IPFW with a set point, it could have been easy for IUPUI to pack in their effort. 

However, Goodnight came through with a kill from Holmes to tie the set and the Martinsville, Ind.-native followed that up with an ace to put the Jags ahead, 26-25, creating match point #5.  Still, IPFW kept attacking the Jaguars, with Schlinwein coming up with a kill to knot the set once again.  Another Mastodon block - their fourth in their last six points won - gave them set point, and after an IUPUI error, IPFW had taken the set and seemingly all of the momentum in The Jungle.

The fifth set started ominously for IUPUI.  Two service errors threatened to swing the door wide open for IPFW, and the Mastodons took an early 3-1 lead, critical in the race to 15 points.  However, the Jaguars, who were 2-3 in five-set matches entering tonight, used a Mastodon error and a Bernhardt kill to quickly tie the score.  With IPFW leading 4-3, Johnson and Bernhardt came up with consecutive kills, giving IUPUI the lead at 5-4.

The Jaguars would not trail the remainder of the match, another Johnson kill put IUPUI ahead 6-5; Johnson and Goodnight stood tall at the net on the next IPFW attack, coming away with a key block to put the Jags up, 7-5.  And after a Shannon Reuter kill brought the Mastodons within a point, Johnson swung to the outside for another kill, keeping IUPUI ahead by two.

Two points later, Houston did the same, pushing IUPUI ahead, 9-7; after IPFW answered with a kill, Suding struck with her seventh kill of the night to maintain the two-point edge.  The Sunman, Ind.-native answered a Schlindwein kill with her eighth and final kill of the night, making it 11-9, IUPUI.  With the score 11-10, IPFW committed their 21st attack error of the night, giving the Jags a 12-10 lead and forcing a Mastodon timeout.

Coming out of the one-minute break, Goodnight and Johnson again came away with a block, pushing the IUPUI lead to 13-10 and ensuring the Jaguars kept momentum.  On the next point, Bernhardt went cross-court with a kill, giving the Jaguars their sixth opportunity to win the match.

Fittingly, it was Johnson who ended the 2-hour, 9-minute match with a kill, swinging out to the right and tipping the winner over the outstretched hand of her opponent at the net.

The Jaguars finished with a season-high 73 kills, 16 of which came from Johnson.  Bernhardt had her sixth double-double of the season, tallying 15 kills and 13 digs.  It was her second straight match with a double-double.  Houston had a season-high 10 kills, while Gardner posted 9 key kills. 

Defensively, the Jaguars had 88 digs, raising money for Komen for the Cure on 'Dig for the Cure' night at The Jungle.  Goodnight led the way with 22, three off her career high.  Chelsea Bastin and Bernhardt each had 13 digs, while Holmes chipped in 12.

Goodnight finished the evening with 7 kills and 58 assists, missing a triple-double by 3 kills.

The win moved the Jaguars to 5-0 against in-state competition in the 2008 season; the Jaguars had previously beaten Evansville, Indiana State, Ball State and Butler.

The Jaguars will try to keep their in-state winning streak alive when they travel north on I-65 to Valparaiso, Ind., where they will take on the Crusaders of Valparaiso University on Tuesday, October 21.  The match will begin at 7 p.m. CT from the Athletics Recreation Center on the VU campus.