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HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Looking to get the 2012 campaign started off on the right foot, the IUPUI volleyball team used great offensive performances by Moriah Fair and Kelsey Hoefer to defeat Miami (OH), 3-1, in the opening match at the Thunder Invite hosted by Marshall University.

Hoefer led the way with 13 kills en route to hitting .407, while Fair tacked on 11 kills at a .300 clip in addition to nine digs.

“It’s good to get that first win out of the way and I was proud of how we pushed hard and came through in the fourth set,” said head coach Steve Payne. “We got a more comfortable as the match went on and definitely played our best there at end.”

In the opening set, the Jags took full advantage of a handful of Miami attacking errors helping them jump out to a four-point opening set victory. The first set remained close early until IUPUI opened up a five-point lead, 16-11, using a pair of Fair aces and a Hoefer kill. Down the stretch, the IUPUI lead never fell below three and a kill from Kaitlyn Hickey closed out a 25-21 win in set one.

In the second set, the score was tied at four before a nine-point surge propelled the Jaguars in front, 13-4. During the run, Ellyn Jones recorded two aces, while four Miami errors were mixed in with a block from Bethany Fogler and Hickey, and kills from Hickey and Kelly Wachtel. The RedHawks cut their deficit to five twice, but the Jags proved to be too much as they cruised to a 25-19 second-set triumph.

Out of the 10-minute break, the Jags looked to close out the RedHawks quickly, but Miami (OH) used a four-point spurt late in the set to seize control at 21-17. Kills from Kortni Wright and Hoefer coupled with a Miami error pulled IUPUI within a point, 22-21, but Miami’s Meg Riley helped score the next three points leading the RedHawks to a 25-21 set-three victory.

Miami (OH) used the momentum from the end of set three to get out to an early 9-3 lead in set four. However, it didn’t take long for the Jags to get back in the set as four Miami errors coupled with four Fair kills helped IUPUI take its first lead of the set, 13-11, forcing a RedHawk timeout. Holding on to a one-point lead at 14-13, a pair of Hoefer kills, a Hickey kill and a Miami error widened the Jags lead to five and they never looked back. Down the stretch, Hickey and Fair delivered kills and a Miami service error cemented a 25-17 fourth-set win.

In addition to Hoefer and Fair, both Hickey and Wachtel performed well in their collegiate debuts with Hickey recording nine kills and 16 digs, while Wachtel registered five kills and a .444 hitting percentage.

Defensively, Fogler led the way with a pair of solo blocks and four block assists.

IUPUI continues play at the Thunder Invite on Saturday, Aug. 25, when it meets tournament host Marshall at 12:30 p.m., followed by a match against Wright State at 5:30 p.m.