Box Score | Photo Gallery | Highlights | Steve Payne Post-match Interview

INDIANAPOLIS – Looking to tie the longest home winning streak in program history, the IUPUI volleyball team rallied from a two sets to one deficit to force a fifth set in its 2013 season opener at The Jungle Friday evening, but Illinois State seized control in the fifth set and came away with a 3-2 victory (24-26, 25-21, 20-25, 25-21, 9-15).

Friday's match was the first match of the 2013 IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational for both teams and it served as the nightcap following a 3-0 win by VCU over Florida Gulf Coast in the first match of the day.

"Well it's tough to go out there and go five sets right away – especially to lose in five sets. It was a hard fought match and both teams didn't make a lot of hitting errors – and there were a lot of good digs from us and Illinois State," head coach Steve Payne said.

Offensively, IUPUI was led by Moriah Fair's 23 kills, and she was joined in double figures in kills by Kaitlyn Hickey and Kortni Wright, who posted 17 kills and 12 kills, respectively.

The Redbirds setter Kaitlyn Early managed to distribute 59 assists and five ISU players reached double figures in kills led by Ashley Rosch's 15 kills.

In the opening set, Illinois State raced out to a 17-13 lead behind the offense of Rosch and Brooklyn Hlafka, but the Jags managed to bounce back and eventually take a 23-22 lead on an Alexis Meeks kill. An ISU side out knotted the score at 23 and another tie ensued two points later at 24-24, but kills by LeighAnn Hranka and Kaitlyn Early propelled the Redbirds to a tight 26-24 opening-set win.

Midway through the second set, the Jaguars were able to take a three-point, 17-14, lead using two ISU errors and a Logan Walling ace. Down the stretch, kills from Fair, Hickey and Wright helped IUPUI earn multiple chances at set point, but it only took one as a Walling and Hickey block closed out a 25-21 second-set win for the Jags.

Out of the 10-minute intermission, the third sent went back-and-forth and remained close with neither team holding more than a two-point advantage. After a Fair kill brought IUPUI within one point, 20-19, a pair of errors and two ISU kills broke the set open placing the Redbirds in front, 24-19. The Jaguars squandered one of the set points on a Hickey kill, but Rosch delivered the knockout blow during the next point to close out the 25-20 third-set win for ISU.

Similar to the previous sets, the fourth set remained close until the midway point. Trailing by one, a Kelly Wachtel kill spurred a brief three-point IUPUI surge flipping the Jags in front, 17-15, and forcing the Redbirds to burn a timeout. ISU retaliated and tied the score at 19, but two kills from Fair, a Wright kill and a block from Walling and Fair moved the Jags advantage to four, 23-19. Two straight ISU points closed the gap to 23-21, but a Fair kill preceded a Meeks ace finishing off a 25-21 fourth-set win for the Jaguars.

Unfortunately for IUPUI, the momentum gained from that fourth-set win did not carry over to the fifth set and Illinois State took six of the first eight points forcing Payne to call his first timeout. The Jags managed to close within two points on a pair of occasions, with the last at 8-6, but the Redbirds slowly pulled away and eventually took the decisive fifth set, 15-9.

Meeks finished with a double-double for IUPUI dishing out 51 assists and posting 17 digs, while Beth Howard led all players with 24 digs.

The Jags continue the 2013 IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational on Saturday, Aug. 31, when it takes on VCU and Florida Gulf Coast at 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively.