Box Score | Kaitlyn Hickey Interview | Highlights

INDIANAPOLIS – Freshmen Kaitlyn Hickey put down a career-high 17 kills leading the IUPUI volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-21, 25-10, 25-21) sweep over Summit League newcomer Omaha Saturday evening at The Jungle.

The win kept IUPUI atop the Summit League standings with a 5-1 record, while UNO fell to 1-4 in its first year of league play. The 5-1 Summit League start is IUPUI’s best start since the 2001 season.

“My teammates really helped me out with passing and I just kept hitting high hands, kept listening where to hit and just kept swinging hard,” Hickey said following the match.

Hickey hit .400 on the evening and as a team, the Jaguars hit .337 while holding Omaha to a .208 hitting percentage.

The Jags took control early in set one using a six-point run to open up a 10-4 lead. Kelly Wachtel was a big part of the run for IUPUI helping finish off three points, two of which on kills and the other on a block with Bethany Fogler. The lead grew to double-digits at 20-10, but the Mavericks put together a late run to close within three at 24-21. Hickey calmly put away Omaha with a kill on the next point, her seventh of the set, securing a 25-21 opening-set win.

Similar to set one, IUPUI managed to seize early control in set two as four players recorded kills helping the team take an 11-4 advantage. Leading 13-7, Alexis Meeks pretty much put the set out of reach notching a kill and two aces during a five-point surge that opened up an 18-7 IUPUI cushion. The Jags continued to keep the pressure on and consecutive errors by the Mavericks finished off a 25-10 win for the Jaguars in set two.

Out of the break, UNO played with much more intensity and held a one-point lead, 15-14, mid-way through the third set. A Kelsey Hoefer kill equaled the score at 15, kick starting a five-point spurt propelling IUPUI on top, 19-15. On four occasions Omaha cut its deficit to two, with the last at 23-21, but kills from Hickey and Hoefer finished off a 25-21 third-set win.

In addition to Hickey, Moriah Fair was in double digits in kills with 11, and added 11 digs for her 10th kill-dig double-double of the season. Hickey tacked on 12 digs to record her ninth kill-dig double-double, while Beth Howard led all players with 15 digs.

IUPUI now faces a tough road in October playing seven of its nine matches away from home beginning with a trip to Rochester Mich., on Tuesday, Oct. 2, to face Oakland.  

“We have done what we were supposed to do by winning at home so far,” head coach Steve Payne said. “We have a tough stretch coming up playing only two home matches in October, so it’s important that we come out each night, beginning on Tuesday, and play with a lot of energy and intensity.”

“We’ve been doing pretty well on the road and we just need to keep playing together and bring the energy that we have at home, on the road,” Hickey added.