Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS -- Using stellar defense and a career night from Kalyse Reimbold, the IUPUI volleyball team snapped a three-game skid, outlasting Butler, 3-2, Tuesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse.  Reimbold had 26 kills, a career high and tying for the fifth-most in IUPUI history as the Jaguars won, 25-27, 25-20, 25-22, 18-25, 15-10.

Despite not playing in the first set, Reimbold had the finest game of her short career, hitting .305 and falling just three kills shy of the school record for kills in a five-set match.  Reimbold entered play with 33 career kills. 

Danielle Goodnight had her eighth double-double of the season, finishing with 56 assists and 13 digs.  The IUPUI back row was superb throughout, as the Jags finished with 104 digs, the second-most in The Summit League in a five-set match this season.  It was the third time this season the Jaguars have cleared 100 digs in a match.  Chelsea Bastin led the way with 33 digs, while Rachel Holmes had 25 digs.

IUPUI (7-5) lived up to its reputation as one of the nation’s best defensive teams in the opening set, despite falling, 27-25, in just their third ‘extra point’ set of the season.  The squads traded points ever the first 20 points, but Butler (10-2) slowly gained a five-point advantage, 17-12, and looked ready to claim the set. 

However, the Jaguars battled back, surviving four set points.  A kill from Shari Bernhardt closed the Jags’ gap to one at 24-23, and IUPUI tied the set on a Bulldog attack error.  Another attack error prevented Butler from claiming the set at 25-24, but consecutive points gave Butler the opening set and a 1-0 lead.

Heading into the second set, Steve Payne inserted Reimbold into the starting lineup, and the Carmel H.S.-product paid dividends for the Jags, turning in 9 kills in a 25-20 win for the Jags.  The 9 kills were just one shy of her career high for a match, and fueled an IUPUI attack that hit .333 in the set; Reimbold hit .533 in 15 attempts.

Early in the set, the Jaguars were in danger of letting Butler run away with the set, spotting the Bulldogs a 5-0 lead.  IUPUI worked their way back into the set, with Reimbold tallying consecutive kills to start the Jags’ comeback, which was completed following consecutive kills by Dana Gardner and Reimbold, knotting the set at 6 apiece.

A Danielle Goodnight ace gave IUPUI their first lead of the set, which was not relinquished for the remainder of the set.  Butler tied the set three times, at 10-10, 12-12 and 13-13, but each time IUPUI retook the lead, using a Bulldog service error, an Ashley Johnson kill and a Reimbold kill, respectively.

Leading 18-16, a Monica Suding kill opened up a three-point lead for the Jaguars, and started a 5-1 run, giving the Jags a 23-17 and forcing a Bulldog timeout.  Coming out of the break, the Jaguars quickly gained a set point, and though Butler took the next three points, a service error knotted the match at a set apiece, as the Jaguars won, 25-20.

Following a nine-minute intermission, Reimbold continued her solid play, setting a new career-high with five kills during a 10-1 Jaguar run, giving her 14 for the match and enabling IUPUI to answer Butler’s first two points of the set rather emphatically.

Butler responded to their 10-3 deficit with an 8-1 run of their own, capitalizing on three IUPUI attack errors and shutting down IUPUI’s attack at the net.  Following a timeout, the Jags regained the lead on a Gardner kill and a Butler set error to rebuild their cushion. 

The critical point in the set came with the teams tied at 13, and the Jaguars scrambling to save the ball.  Goodnight saved the ball off the net, and with the point seemingly lost, Gardner got the ball over the net, stunning the Butler defenders as it landed for a Jaguar point.  With momentum, IUPUI again opened a four-point lead at 18-14, but saw Butler seemingly capture momentum with a 3-0 run, closing to within 18-17.  However, Reimbold kill made it 19-17, and the Jaguars defense dug in, with Goodnight recording two key digs on sideout attempts by Butler; Reimbold capped the rally with a kill, making it 20-17 and forcing a Butler timeout.

The Bulldogs had one more run in them, needing a point at 20-19 to tie the set, but their attack attempt clipped the net and went wide, enabling the Jaguars to regain their two-point edge.  Reimbold threaded a kill down the line to make it 23-20, and Gardner followed a lengthy rally with a kill of her own, giving IUPUI their first set point of the third set.  Butler took the first two set points, but a Goodnight feed set Suding up for a kill down the middle, sending the teams to a fourth set with the Jags leading 2-1.

The teams traded points early in the set before a short 3-0 Butler run opened up a 10-7 Bulldog lead, forcing Payne into a timeout.  While kills from Gardner and Johnson gave the Jaguars hope of coming back, spotty play and untimely errors allowed the Bulldogs to open a 16-10 advantage, causing the Jags to burn their second timeout of the set.

Several times IUPUI was able to close within five points, but could not get over the hump, as Butler tightened their defense at the net, winning, 25-18, and forcing a decisive fifth set.

Butler jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the fifth set, but the Jags took their first lead of the set at 5-4 following a Bulldog attack error.  Still, a BU kill and an IUPUI attack error gave the Bulldogs the lead back at 6-5.  Continuing the two-point run, the Jaguars used a Bernhardt kill and an ace by Holmes to go up 7-6 and force a Butler timeout.

Another Bernhardt kill opened up a two-point lead for the Jaguars, but the Bulldogs used a Jaguar attack error to close within one.  Bernhardt again sent a kill whistling to the ground to make it 9-7, but Butler again gained the sideout.  This time, Reimbold responded with a kill to reopen a 10-8 lead, and with the Jags up, 10-9, a Butler service error and an attack error on subsequent possessions put IUPUI three points away from the set and match.

An errant dig that landed for a point gave Butler some short-lived momentum, as Gardner went cross-court with a kill to open a 13-10 lead.  A lengthy rally, featuring saves on both sides, was ended on a Butler attack error, and a subsequent Bulldog error ended the set and match, 15-10.

The Jaguars ended Butler’s nine-game winning streak.      

IUPUI will open their conference season on Friday, hosting the Ladies of Centenary at 7 p.m. in The Jungle.  The match will be streamed live via Jags All-Access.