INDIANAPOLIS – In the tournament finale of the 2011 IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational, the IUPUI volleyball team struggled early yet battled back to force a fourth set. However, it wasn’t enough as Eastern Michigan downed the Jags, 3-1, Sunday afternoon at The Jungle to win the tournament championship.

“To be down two sets to none and to come out in set three and really dominate the third set, I was proud of my team,” said head coach Steve Payne. In the fourth set it was tight, a lot of good defense was being played and our girls never quit, but Eastern Michigan was just a little too tough for us today.”

IUPUI was out of sync in the opening set connecting on just six kills in the opening frame compared to 19 for Eastern Michigan. The Eagles used four kills and two aces coupled with an early IUPUI attack error to jump in front, 7-2. Unfortunately for the Jags, they could not close within five points and a mini four-point Eagles run opened up a double-digit lead, 19-9. The Eagles cruised from that point to a 25-12 opening-set win.

IUPUI found itself behind early in set two, but this time it used a trio of Eastern Michigan attack errors and a Kelsey Hoefer kill to close within one point, 9-8. However, just as IUPUI closed within one point, a six-point EMU surge re-established a seven-point lead, 15-8. The Eagles lead reached as many as nine points before the Jags began their rally. Trailing 20-11, EMU attack errors coupled with the blocking of Moriah Fair and Kortni Wright helped the Jaguars battle back within two points at 24-22.
Unfortunately, a Rachel Iaquaniello solo block ended the set, 25-22, in EMU’s favor.

Three kills out of the gates by Wright in the third set aided an IUPUI rally that saw the Jags take a 9-3 lead. The Jaguars methodically built a double-digit lead, 20-10, off a Lindsey Weber kill, but EMU started a comeback of its own. Following a five-point Eagles rally, Eastern Michigan eventually closed to within three points, 23-20, but an EMU service error precluded a hitting error resulting in the Jags winning set three, 25-20.

 A back-and-forth beginning to the fourth set changed when a four-point spurt from Eastern Michigan opened up an 11-7 lead. IUPUI closed within three points on two occasions, but it seemed that Iaquaniello halted any momentum the Jags seemed to gain. Due to Iaquaniello’s play, the Eagles took the fourth set, 25-18, claiming the win and the tournament title.

Despite the loss, the Jaguars finished the weekend with a 2-1 record and both Bethany Fogler and Shari Bernhardt were named to the all-tournament team. In four sets of action, Bernhardt totaled 33 digs, tying her for the third-most digs in a four-set match in program history. Fogler finished the match with four kills and five blocks and totaled 20 blocks for the weekend.

“Bethany did a great job at the net and she was the best blocker in the tournament by far,” said Payne. “If Bethany wasn’t blocking it, Shari was in the back digging it. She was reading it well and was all over the floor. To get 33 digs in that last match was great.”

Iaquaniello was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, while Kristen Baker and Paige Roback also made the all-tournament team from Eastern Michigan. Cameron Yoho from Marshall and Kaley Melville from Stetson rounded out the all-tournament selections.

The Jaguars return to the floor next weekend when they travel to Kent State for the Kent State Mizuno Open Sept. 9-10. IUPUI opens the tournament against host Kent State at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9, before closing the evening against William and Mary at 5 p.m. The Jags conclude the tournament versus Robert Morris on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 10 a.m.