Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

IU Indy Athletics

Scoreboard

Hillary Houston, Rachel Holmes, Danielle Goodnight
John Gentry, Jr.

JAGUARS AVOID TRICKS, PICK UP KEY 3-2 WIN OVER SOUTH DAKOTA STATE

IUPUI moves two games ahead of Jackrabbits in race for Summit League Tournament

10/31/2008 10:17:02 PM

By: Bill Potter, IUPUI Sports Information

INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI volleyball team appeared to be on the verge of suffering a nasty Halloween trick, but the Jaguars dug deep, leaving spectators with a treat in their 3-2 win over South Dakota State Friday night at The Jungle. The Jags had a season-high 119 digs in the five-set thriller.

With the 26-24, 19-25, 25-19, 21-25, 15-12 win, IUPUI (14-11, 7-4 Summit) moved two games clear of South Dakota State (7-15, 5-6 Summit) in the race for the conference’s final tournament berth. While the Jaguars struggled offensively for much the evening, hitting just .113, their defense picked up the slack, tallying the fifth-most digs in school history. Chelsea Bastin led the Jags with a career-high 35 digs.

Shari Bernhardt posted her eighth double-double of the year with 14 kills and 24 digs; Danielle Goodnight paced the offense with 48 assists and had 16 digs, while Rachel Holmes chipped in with 22 digs.

While the match featured just 16 ties and seven lead changes, four of those exchanges of the lead occurred in the opening set. The Jaguars came out aggressively, taking the first three points of the set on a kill by Monica Suding and two Kalyse Reimbold service aces.

However, South Dakota State answered with a 9-2 run, opening a four-point advantage and forcing Steve Payne into an early timeout. Payne’s adjustments paid dividends for the Jags, as they took three of the next four points, causing the Jackrabbits to burn a timeout following back-to-back kills by Ashley Johnson and Reimbold.

The teams traded points through the middle of the set, but SDSU slowly pulled away, turning a 15-13 lead into a 19-14 advantage, causing IUPUI to use their final timeout of the set. Again, the break helped the Jaguars, as they won the next two points. The Jackrabbits took their final timeout with a 19-16 lead.

Still, the Jaguars kept chipping away; trailing 22-17, an attack error by SDSU put Bastin on serve for IUPUI. By the time Bastin was done, the Jaguars had tied the set at 23. Two Reimbold kills, along with a Goodnight finisher and two Jackrabbit errors helped the Jags knot the set.

South Dakota State took the next point to set up a set point, but an attack error tied the set, and Goodnight followed with an ace to give the Jaguars their first set point opportunity. Trying to win the sideout, the Jackrabbits put the ball into the net, putting IUPUI ahead, 1-0.

The two teams traded blows in the second set, with South Dakota State striking the first run to take a 12-8 lead after a 4-0 run. This time, an IUPUI timeout did not appear to have an immediate effect, as the Jackrabbits pushed their lead to 14-8 before the Jaguars took three straight points to cut their deficit in half and force SDSU into a timeout.

The break had the desired effect for the Jackrabbits, as they built a seven-point cushion at 19-12, causing Payne to burn his final timeout of the set. Slowly the Jags found a rhythm, as a Hillary Houston kill made it 23-16, and Suding followed with kill to cut the Jackrabbit lead to six. A SDSU ball handling error gave the Jags a ray of hope, making it 23-18 and forcing a Jackrabbit timeout. 

Unfortunately for the Jaguars, a service error gave the Jackrabbits a set point, and on their second opportunity they converted, using a Mackenzie Angner kill to knot the match at a set apiece.

Coming out of the eight-minute break, the Jaguars dominated the third set, never trailing in a 25-19 win. The Jags raced out to a 7-2 lead, using kills from Lauran Thompson and Bernhardt around some Jackrabbit errors, forcing a SDSU timeout. IUPUI built their lead to as much as 10, at 15-5, but went through an offensive malaise after that.

South Dakota State went on an 8-0 run after Goodnight’s kill made it 15-5, causing the Jaguars to burn a timeout with the score 15-9. The Jackrabbits closed to within two points, but an attack error gave the Jags a three-point cushion. IUPUI was able to push the lead to four on a Johnson kill, making the score 20-16 and forcing SDSU’s final timeout. From there, the Jaguars cruised to the win, taking a 2-1 set lead.

Needing one more set win to close out the Jackrabbits, the Jaguars came out flat, as the set was nearly an exact reversal from the third set, as the Jags never led. This time, it was South Dakota State jumping out to the quick lead, taking a 6-1 advantage and causing Payne to burn an early timeout.

After IUPUI cut the lead to five, the Jackrabbits took a quick timeout to regroup; it appeared to work, as SDSU pushed their lead to 21-12, causing Payne to use his final timeout. The set all but over, the Jaguars forced the Jackrabbits into a timeout with the score 23-15, but threw a scare into South Dakota State with seven straight points, the last six coming on Bernhardt’s serve.

A Johnson kill made it 23-20, SDSU, causing South Dakota State Head Coach Nana Allison-Brewer to ask for a timeout she did not have. Her plea was rendered moot, however, as a kill gave the Jackrabbits an opportunity to win the set, and on their second attempt, the Jacks did just that, taking the set, 25-21, and forcing a decisive fifth set.

As they had in the odd-numbered sets, the Jaguars got off to a strong start in the final set, taking the first three points on a block by Goodnight and Johnson, along with a kill from Johnson and a SDSU attack error. South Dakota State answered with four of the next five points to knot the set at 4, and the teams had five ties throughout the middle of the set.

The first lead change of the set came with the score knotted at 10, as a Johnson attack attempt was ruled just out, giving the Jackrabbits an 11-10 lead, and causing Payne to use his first timeout. The Jaguars regrouped, tying the set on a service error and using kills from Reimbold and Goodnight to re-take the lead, 13-12.

After a South Dakota State timeout, Nicole Jenkins picked up her third kill of the night, setting up match point for the Jaguars. Goodnight closed the match with an ace, giving the Jaguars their third consecutive win.

Angner had 29 kills for South Dakota State, and the Jackrabbits tallied 119 digs in the match, equaling IUPUI’s output.

With the win, the Jaguars remained one game behind IPFW for third place in The Summit League.

The victory was the Jags' first in four meetings with South Dakota State.

The Jaguars will close their home schedule tomorrow night, when they host Summit League-leading North Dakota State. The match will begin at 7 p.m. from The Jungle; prior to the match, the Jaguars will celebrate Senior Night.
Print Friendly Version