Box Score | Highlights | Photo Gallery | Steve Payne Postgame Interview

INDIANAPOLIS – Looking to close out its five-match home with a win, the IUPUI volleyball team jumped out to a 2-1 lead over local rival Butler, but the Bulldogs stormed back behind its strong block to defeat the Jaguars, 3-2 (25-19, 13-25, 25-20, 21-25, 7-15), Tuesday evening inside The Jungle.

The loss dropped the Jags to 5-3 on the season, while the Bulldogs upped their record to 5-2.

“Nineteen total blocks are the most I’ve seen in a long time against any team and especially against us,” said head coach Steve Payne. “Our hitters have to be a little more disciplined to get around those blocks and use them to our advantage.”

Butler out-blocked IUPUI 19.0 to 7.0, and those 19 blocks accounted for more than half of the Jaguars total errors on the evening.

To start, both teams made a few miscues keeping the score tight and neither team was able to obtain a lead of more than three until a Butler error preceded a Moriah Fair kill late in the opening set to place IUPUI in front, 21-17, forcing a Bulldogs timeout. With the lead still at four, 23-19, a Kortni Wright kill gave the Jags set point, and a Butler attack error followed handing the Jaguars a 25-19 opening-set win.

However, the match was quickly tied as Butler controlled the action from the get-go in the second set and ultimately downed IUPUI, 25-13, to even the match at a set apiece.

Despite the poor play in set two, IUPUI bounced back in the third set and used a six-point run behind the serving of Bethany Fogler to take what was a one-point lead and push it to seven, 13-6. Butler never truly threatened and a Kaitlyn Hickey kill closed out a 25-20 triumph placing the Jags in front, 2-1.

Neither team could seize momentum in the fourth set as both teams jockeyed to take the lead, but it was Butler that finally used a brief three-point rally late in the set to open a 20-17 advantage following 11 ties. IUPUI crawled back and closed within one point twice down the stretch, but two kills and a block propelled the Bulldogs to a 25-21 fourth-set win, setting up a winner-take-all fifth set.

Unfortunately for the Jaguars, the fifth set looked much like the second in the fact that nothing went IUPUI’s way. After Butler sprinted out to a 9-2 advantage, a four-point rally brought the Jags within three, 9-6, but the Jags managed just one point the rest of the way as Butler left the Jungle with a 15-7 win in the final set.

Fair led IUPUI in kills with 13, while Hickey led the back row with 18 digs.

IUPUI hits the road this weekend for the Western Kentucky Tournament in Bowling Green, Ky. The Jags will take on Ohio State, Tennessee Tech and Western Kentucky during the two-day event, with action beginning on Friday, Sept. 7, at 5:00 p.m. ET against the Buckeyes.