Box Score

MACOMB, Ill. – The IUPUI volleyball team had already experienced seven tough five-set losses entering Sunday's Summit League match at Western Illinois, but the Jaguars were determined to not make it eight as they emerged with a 3-2 (25-12, 24-26, 25-18, 24-26, 15-9) victory over the Leathernecks at Western Hall.

The win improved IUPUI to 15-12 overall and upped their conference record to 9-2, while handing Western Illinois its first home loss of the season as it fell to 11-14 overall and 5-5 in the league.

"It's a good win on the road over a very much improved Western Illinois team," head coach Steve Payne said. "For us to do something we haven't done all year shows we're driven to win. Our defense once again was great with five people getting double-digit digs, and our block gave us some big points. We won some of those close calls there and pulled it out in the fifth."

More than 50 percent of IUPUI's losses this season have come in five sets, but Kaitlyn Hickey would not let it happen again. The sophomore outside hitter delivered seven of her match-high 21 kills in the final set to keep the Jags tied atop the conference standings with South Dakota, who earned a four-set win over North Dakota State earlier in the day.

"We just got a good rotation and they got stuck in a bad one," Payne added. "Alexis [Meeks] kept going to Kaitlyn and Kaitlyn kept finding the holes to get those kills."

Three other Jags reached double figures in kills in Meredith Farkas, Kelly Wachtel and Kortni Wright. Farkas tallied a career-high 13 kills, Wachtel added 12, and Wright added a career-high 11 kills, and the quartet of Hickey, Farkas, Wachtel and Wright registered 57 of the team's 65 kills.

A kill from Wachtel, three attack errors from Western Illinois, and a kill from Hickey quickly put IUPUI in front by five in the opening set. A block from the Leathernecks reduced the Jags lead to 14-7, but back-to-back kills from Hickey and Wachtel preceded a block from Hickey and Logan Walling that pushed the advantage to double digits, 17-7. With the lead at 11 points, 23-12, a kill from Hickey and an ace from Beth Howard closed an impressive 25-13 first-set win.

The second set was controlled by Western Illinois as it opened up an eight-point lead at 18-10 and looked to be in prime position to claim the second set. However, the Jags captured nine of the next 10 points, which included four kills from Hickey, to knot the score at 19. IUPUI took its first lead of the set at 22-21 off a Mallory Gibson error, but three straight Leathernecks points gave them a pair of set points. Another WIU attack error and a kill from Farkas spoiled both set points, but a kill from Gibson and a Jaguars attack error gave Western Illinois the 26-24 second-set win.

Farkas and Wright each put down two kills early in set three the keep the score close, until two kills from Wachtel and another Farkas kill opened a 12-9 IUPUI cushion, forcing WIU to burn a timeout. The Leathernecks retaliated by taking five of the next six points to jump in front, 14-13, but a pair of Farkas kills, a pair of Wright solo blocks and a Leathernecks error catapulted the Jaguars back on top, 18-14. After an exchange of side outs, a Western Illinois attack error, a block from Alexis Meeks and Walling, and another block from Walling and Hickey finished off a 25-18 third-set win for IUPUI.

The Jags managed to take a 10-6 lead as the midway point of the fourth set neared, but the Leathernecks rallied for nine of the next 11 points to seize a 15-12 lead, forcing Payne to use a timeout. Out of the break, the Jags used two powerful kills from Wright and a deceptive kill from Meeks on what appeared to be an over-ball to recapture two-point lead at 18-16, forcing the Leathernecks to use a timeout of their own. After WIU closed within one at 21-20, a precise kill from Hickey and a Leathernecks attack error on a slide put the Jaguars two points away from victory at 23-20. However, ties ensued at 23 and 24, before two kills from WIU gave it another 26-24 win to send the match to a fifth-set.

The first 12 points went back-and-forth with neither team gaining more than a one-point lead until a WIU attack error and a
Hickey kill that dropped in the deep corner past a sliding defender placed IUPUI on top 8-6 as both teams exchanged sides. Kills from Walling and Hickey ensued to double the lead to four, 10-6, forcing the Leathernecks to burn its final timeout. The lead expanded all the way to 14-6, but three match points were spoiled before a Hickey kill finished off a 15-9 triumph.

Howard led IUPUI with 21 digs, while Meeks and Hickey followed with 19 and 18, respectively. Courtney Halter also added a career-high 18 digs, helping the Jags out-dig the Leathernecks, 106-91.

The Jaguars return to action on Saturday, Nov. 9, when they head to Fort Wayne, Ind., to take on in-state rival IPFW. The match is set to start at 7 p.m.