Box Score (.pdf) | Highlights

INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI volleyball team received a career-high tying 19 kills from Kelsey Hoefer and a career-best 24 digs from Beth Howard, but North Dakota State proved to be too much as it defeated the Jaguars, 3-1 (20-25, 18-25, 25-19, 24-26), in Summit League play Friday evening at The Jungle.

The loss snapped IUPUI’s five-match winning streak and put IUPUI below .500 on the season at 10-11, while evening its conference mark at 5-5. Meanwhile, NDSU improved to 15-7 overall and 8-2 in league action.

The Jags struggled in the first two sets but made some adjustments during the 10-minute intermission that sparked a third-set win and that momentum carried into the fourth set, but the Bison overcame a nine-point deficit in the fourth set to ultimately pick up the win.

“I’m disappointed in the way we played those first two sets, but we made some adjustments that worked for us in set three and most of set four,” said head coach Steve Payne. “We need to come back with a much better effort tomorrow if we want to get a win over South Dakota State.”

Both Brynn Joki and Megan Lambertson helped the Bison get out to a 7-3 lead in the opening set, forcing IUPUI to burn an early timeout. Out of the timeout, a Hoefer kill brought the Jags within three points, 7-4, but NDSU continued to expand its lead and eventually took a 19-11 lead, its largest of the set. IUPUI made a late run courtesy of some Bison attack errors and a kill by Kalyse Reimbold, but it wasn’t enough as North Dakota State took the opening set, 25-20.

The second set was a bit tighter at the start but throughout the set NDSU slowly took what was a two-point lead and built it into a six-point lead at 20-14. The next eight points resulted in side outs giving the Bison match point, and a Carissa Whalen kill finished off a 25-18 second-set win in NDSU’s favor.

Coming out of the intermission, Payne moved Shari Bernhardt to the outside, moved Howard into the libero spot, and brought in Corinne Owens in the middle and the move paid dividends immediately for the Jags. IUPUI used a balanced offensive attack to take a 5-3 lead, before the serving of Ellyn Jones helped the Jaguars rally off the next five points, expanding their lead to 10-3. The lead remained at seven later in the set when IUPUI used a Jones ace, and a kill by Reimbold to take its biggest lead of the set, 20-11. NDSU closed the gap to five points at 24-19, but Reimbold quickly ended the set with a kill seizing the momentum and the 25-19 third-set win.

Things continued to go IUPUI’s way in the fourth set as Howard’s serving forced the Bison offense out of system helping the Jags open up an 11-2 lead. The Jaguars lead remained a comfortable six points, 19-13, until a quick six-point run knotted the score at 19. Despite the run, IUPUI regained control of the set at 22-20, before kills by Whalen, Jennifer Lopez, and Janna Deyle placed North Dakota State in front, 23-22, marking its first lead of the set. The Bison had one match point spoiled on a service error, but once a Joki kill gave the Bison another chance to win the match, NDSU went to Joki again who capitalized and closed out a 26-24 come-from-behind win for North Dakota State.

In addition to Hoefer, Reimbold also finished in double figures with 10 kills. Bernhardt followed up her school-record 44 dig-effort on Tuesday against Oakland with 23 digs, four kills, three assists, and a pair of aces. Outside of Howard’s career defensive night, Jones also set a new career best with 15 digs.

IUPUI returns to the floor on Saturday, Oct. 15, when it looks to salvage a weekend split against South Dakota State at 7:00 p.m. Saturday’s match marks IUPUI’s ‘Dig Pink’ match and the Jags will be accepting donations, selling pink t-shirts, and wearing pink jerseys to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research.