Box Score | Highlights | Kelsey Hoefer Interview

INDIANAPOLIS – Carnae Dillard watched her team fall behind 2-0 to the IUPUI volleyball team and it appeared as if she was going to carry the North Texas Mean Green to a fifth set against the Jags, but a late fourth-set rally by the Jaguars was capped off by a huge block from Bethany Fogler and Kelsey Hoefer on Dillard that closed out a 3-1 (25-23, 25-16, 26-28, 25-23) win for IUPUI in its first match of the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational Friday evening at The Jungle.

Dillard registered 12 kills in the fourth set alone with the last kill placing the Mean Green in front, 23-20, but IUPUI managed to rally off five straight points, including a huge block by Hoefer and Fogler as Dillard tried to go down the line on the final point.
The block gave IUPUI its third straight win and handed North Texas their first loss of the season following a 5-0 start.

“North Texas had great intensity and to try and stop Carnae Dillard was tough for us to do,” said head coach Steve Payne. “To be down 23-20 (in the fourth set) with their best player in the front row, our girls matched their intensity and were not going to let this match slip away.”

“The last two sets, (Carnae Dillard) got me down the line a couple times,” Hoefer said about that final play. “Going into that final point, Bethany and I told each other we weren’t going to let that one get by and we got the block.”

#Moriah Fair led three IUPUI double-digit kill performers with 17, while Hoefer hit above .400 for the second straight match connecting on 14 kills in 30 attempts, while making just two errors. Kaitlyn Hickey was the other Jag in double figures with 11 kills.

“Alexis (Meeks) has done a great job of running the offense and finding me on one-on-one attempts. It’s not just me – everyone is stepping up,” Hoefer said when asked about her recent success. And while Meeks and Ellyn Jones have helped the team post hitting percentages over .250 in consecutive matches, Payne believes the defense of his junior setter has been more important to the team.

“Defensively, our back row players are reading the ball better and Alexis Meeks had 15 digs tonight and that’s two straight matches with 10 or more digs for her,” Payne added. “She understands that playing defense comes first and setting is second and that has really helped us.”

IUPUI jumped out to an early lead in the opening set only to find North Texas holding on to a three-point lead late, 22-19. The Jags responded with three straight points to knot the score at 22, and another tie ensued at 23 before a block from Kortni Wright and Hickey gave IUPUI set point. The Jags took advantage of the opportunity and a Fogler kill cemented a 25-23 opening-set win.

Following an impressive 25-16 second-set win for IUPUI, North Texas came out of the 10-minute break with much more intensity than it had in the first two sets. The Mean Green stayed in front for most of the set until a kill by Fogler and a block by Fogler and Kelly Wachtel finally evened the score at 22. Eight side outs followed before Dillard and Courtney Windham each put down kills handing North Texas a 28-26 third-set win.

In the fourth set, IUPUI looked to be on its way to winning comfortably leading 19-15, but a seven-point run ensued, which featured three blocks and three Dillard kills, forcing IUPUI to burn both timeouts as Payne tried to calm down his squad. From there, Hoefer stopped the rally out of the timeout with a kill and then teamed up with Fogler to end the match.

The Jags won the defense battle out-blocking the Mean Green 13.0 – 9.5, thanks in most part to Fogler’s eight block assists. For the second straight match, IUPUI also had four players’ record double-digit digs led by Hickey’s 18.

IUPUI is back in action on Saturday, Sept. 1, when it hosts Georgia State at 12:30 p.m. and Ball State at 7 p.m. The first of four matches on the day is set for 10 a.m. between the Cardinals and the Mean Green.