Box Score | Match Point Video | Steve Payne Postgame Interview

fter claiming the Summit League regular-season championship, the IUPUI volleyball team advanced to the Summit League Tournament championship match after sweeping Kansas City, 3-0 (25-19, 25-21), Friday evening in the conference semifinals at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse in Fargo, N.D.

The win improved IUPUI to 22-9 overall on the season and moved the Jags one step closer to making their first NCAA Tournament appearance. Standing in their way will be in-state rival Fort Wayne, who rallied to defeat Oakland, 3-2, in the earlier semifinal. Saturday’s championship match begins at 8 p.m. ET.

The Jags controlled the match from the get-go and hit .293 for the match while holding Kansas City to a .193 hitting percentage. Kelsey Hoefer and Bethany Fogler were a big reason for the team hitting at a high percentage hitting .300 and .636, respectively.

UMKC jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but behind Hoefer and Kaitlyn Hickey, the Jaguars took 12 of next 14 points to take 12-5 lead. The lead grew to eight, 20-12, off another Hoefer kill, but Kansas City was able to cut its deficit in half at 22-18. However, a Moriah Fair push kill into the corner followed by an Emily Lucas attack error gave the Jags set point, 24-18. Following a UMKC kill, Fair delivered another kill closing out the 25-19 opening-set win.

In the opening set, IUPUI outhit the Kangaroos .333 to .162 and recorded 18 digs compared to just eight for UMKC.

Kansas City again got out to a quick three-point lead in set two, but a Hickey kill off the block started a five-point spurt reversing a deficit into a two-point IUPUI lead, 8-6, forcing the ‘Roos to burn a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Jags rallied off three more points to up their lead to 11-6, but Kansas City managed to climb back within one at 16-15. With the Jags lead still at one, 19-18, kills by Fair and Kelly Wachtel preceded a Meredith Farkas ace that pushed the lead back four, 22-18. From that point, six straight side outs were exchanged resulting in a 25-21 second-set victory for the Jags as they took a 2-0 lead going into the 10-minute intermission.

Out of the break, the Jaguars lead fluctuated between three and four points in the early stages until kills from Hickey, Alexis Meeks and Fair opened up a 14-8 lead, forcing a Kangaroos timeout. The IUPUI block helped the Jags double up the Kangaroos at 20-10, and IUPUI easily finished off a 25-16 third-set win.

Hickey led IUPUI with 12 kills and added 14 digs for her 18th kill-dig double-double of the season. Fair also put up her 18th kill-dig double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs.

Defensively, Beth Howard led the back-row defense with a match-best 18 digs, while Fogler led all players with five total blocks.

Saturday’s Summit League Championship match between IUPUI and Fort Wayne will be played at 8 p.m. ET. The winner earns the Summit League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This will be IUPUI’s s third appearance in a conference championship final.