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INDIANAPOLIS – Moriah Fair recorded the first 20-kill, 30-dig performance of her career and just the second in school history, but the IUPUI volleyball team couldn’t hold off UMKC as it came back from a two sets to none deficit to defeat the Jaguars, 3-2 (25-21, 27-25, 23-25, 22-25, 13-15) Friday evening inside The Jungle.

The loss dropped IUPUI to 12-14 overall and 6-8 in the Summit League, while UMKC upped its overall record to 9-15 and its conference record to 3-10.

“We have to have a better effort from start to finish in these matches,” said head coach Steve Payne. “If we want to compete in our conference we have to have a great effort against everybody we play and we didn’t have that tonight.”

The Jaguars were impressive early in set one as Alexis Meeks found Kelsey Hoefer for a pair of kills while also picking up a service ace helping IUPUI jump out to a 6-0 lead. Strong blocking and winning long rallies helped the Jags up their lead to 15-5, forcing the Kangaroos to burn their second timeout of the set, but UMKC eventually trimmed the IUPUI lead to three points, 23-20. Following an exchange of side outs, a set-ending kill down the line and off the defender by Fair closed out a 25-21 win for the Jaguars.

The second set was tight early with neither side able to create any separation until a five-point spurt courtesy of four Kangaroos miscues pushed the Jags in front, 13-8. IUPUI held a four-point lead as late as 20-16, but UMKC continued to fight and knotted the score at 21 before eventually owning set point, 25-24. A kill by Fair erased the set point and an ensuing ball handling error from the ‘Roos left IUPUI with set point of its own, 26-25. During the next point, a UMKC attack sailed deep out of bounds handing the Jags a 27-25 win.

Out of the 10-minute break, IUPUI held control for most of the third set and owned a lead as large as seven points, 18-11. With a win appearing imminent, UMKC started to gain some momentum and put the Jags back on their heels. A block by Christiana McQuin and Elizabeth Beck late in the set equaled the score at 23 and IUPUI miscues eliminated its chances of a three-set win as a blocking error and attack error followed giving UMKC a 25-23 third-set win.

Kangaroos errors and a series of kills from Fair helped IUPUI storm in front 15-11 in set four, before UMKC found another run, this time taking 10 of the next 13 points to reverse a four-point deficit into a three point lead, 21-18. The Jaguars closed within one point, 22-21, but UMKC’s block proved to be too strong and its defense propelled it a 25-22 fourth-set win, knotting the match at two sets apiece.

The fifth set was a much cleaner set that featured six ties with the final occasion at 12-12. Down two set points, a Fair kill eliminated one of UMKC’s set points, but a Kelsey Knoche kill completed the Kangaroos comeback cementing a 15-13 fifth-set victory.

Fair led all players with 21 kills and 30 digs, and she was joined in double figures in kills by Hoefer and Kalyse Reimbold who each posted 11 kills. Shari Bernhardt added 24 digs.

IUPUI returns to the floor on Saturday, Oct. 29, when it welcomes South Dakota to The Jungle for a 7 p.m. start.