Box Score

FARGO, N.D. – In 12 previous tries, the IUPUI volleyball team could not claim a victory over Summit League foe North Dakota State, but that changed Saturday evening as the Jaguars defeated the Bison, 3-1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-14, 25-23), at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse on NDSU’s campus.

The win was IUPUI’s first in program history over North Dakota State helping the Jaguars improve to 10-6 overall and 4-1 in Summit League play. The Bison fell to 4-10 overall and 1-3 in league action.

“It feels great to get our first win against [North Dakota State] and especially at their place,” said head coach Steve Payne. “This is a tough place to win and I think these wins the last two nights give us a confidence boost as we continue to move through our conference schedule.”

Alexis Meeks and Ellyn Jones orchestrated a balanced offensive attack for IUPUI leading to four different players tallying double-figure kills led by Moriah Fair’s 14.

“Both Alexis and Ellyn did a good job of distributing the ball around and finding our hitters that had good match-ups,” Payne added. “We have more than one or two weapons, and tonight they utilized all of them.”

Defensively, Beth Howard continued her tremendous play in the back row accumulating 32 digs, her second 30-plus dig performance of the season.

In the opening set, neither team could put together lengthy rallies but a three-point run mid-way through the set helped NDSU take a two-point lead at 15-13. The Jaguars deficit fluctuated between one and three points until a Megan Lambertson kill and an IUPUI attack error placed the Bison in front, 24-20. A Kelsey Hoefer kill spoiled one set point, but another Lambertson kill closed out the opening-set win for NDSU.

Multiple kills from Kortni Wright, Hoefer, and Kaitlyn Hickey early in set two helped the Jags capture an 11-7 advantage. With its lead trimmed to three points at 18-15, a NDSU service error preceded a Meeks ace and a Hickey kill doubling the Jaguars lead to six, 21-15. With its six-point lead still intact at 23-17, kills by Wright and Bethany Fogler finished off a 25-17 set-two win, knotting the match at a set apiece.

A seven-point spurt early in set three featuring a pair of blocks and kills from three different Jags aided a run placing IUPUI in front, 10-2. From that point on, the Jaguars lead never dwindled below six points and they continued to keep the pressure on eventually growing their lead to double digits at 23-13. A kill from Hickey and a NDSU attack error closed out a 25-14 third-set win for the Jags.

The fourth set was a battle from the start featuring 13 ties, with the last at 18-18, before kills from Howard and Fogler placed IUPUI on top, 20-18. NDSU rallied to even the score at 22, the 14th tie of the set, but again IUPUI continued to push forward using a kill from Hickey and a block from Kelly Wachtel and Wright to have two set points. A Lambertson kill spoiled one of those set points, but on the next point, Wright delivered the match-ending kill closing out the Jags first win in program history over the Bison.

IUPUI will head home for its next match on Saturday, Sept. 29, when it hosts Summit League newcomer Omaha at 5 p.m. at The Jungle.