Box Score
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INDIANAPOLIS – Following a pair of close five-set losses to open the season, the IUPUI volleyball team came together and finished off the 2013 IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational with a three-set sweep (25-22, 25-18, 25-18) over Florida Gulf Coast Saturday evening to claim its first win of the season.
The win improved the Jags to 1-2 on the season, while the Eagles fell to 0-3.
Kaitlyn Hickey led all players with 15 kills, while Moriah Fair finished with a double-double of 12 kills and 10 digs. Alexis Meeks dished out 32 assists in addition to posting two kills, two blocks and eight digs, and for her efforts throughout the tournament, she was named to the IUPUI Hampton Inn All-Tournament Team.
"It was tough to drop that five setter again earlier, but we played against some pretty good competition here," head coach Steve Payne said. "It was a good weekend. We saw what we need to improve on and work on and we can build (on that)."
The Jaguars got off to a slow start in the opening set falling behind by as many as four points, but the Jags managed to chip away at its deficit and eventually tie the score at 20-20 and 21-21 on #Kaitlyn Hickey kills. On the next point, IUPUI took its first lead since 1-0 on an FGCU attack error, and a Meredith Farkas ace quickly ensued pushing the Jags lead to 23-21. The Eagles were able to side out to close within one point, 23-22, but a FGCU attack error and a Fair kill off the block finished a 25-22 come-from-behind win for the Jags.
The serving of Farkas continued to be an asset for the Jaguars in the second set. Trailing 5-4, Farkas stepped behind the line and recorded an ace during a mini three-point run to put IUPUI in front, 7-5. Later in the set with the Jags still owning a two-point lead, 15-13, Farkas spurred a six-point run, which included a pair of blocks from Kortni Wright and Hickey, to give IUPUI its largest lead of the set, 21-13. From that point, the Jaguars cruised to a 25-18 win in set two.
Out of the break, FGCU jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, but trailing by two, a Hickey kill preceded three Eagles errors and a Farkas ace reversing the two-point deficit into a two-point lead, 9-7. Following a FGCU side out, another four-point IUPUI spurt opened up a 13-8 advantage. Two straight kills from Hickey later in the set moved the IUPUI advantage to seven, 20-13, and that margin held as the Jags finished off the Eagles, 25-18.
The 2013 IUPUI Hampton Inn Champions were the VCU Rams, who posted a perfect 3-0 record. The Rams' Romana Kriskova was the Tournament MVP, and she was joined on the all-tournament team by her teammates Cecilia Aragao and Amanda Love. The other representatives were Illinois State's Ashley Rosch and Emily Schneider, Meeks, and FGCU's Kaitlin Holm.
IUPUI begins a grueling 14-match road swing on Tuesday, Sept. 3, when it travels to nearby Butler to take on the 3-0 Bulldogs. Following Tuesday's match, the Jags head to Morehead, Ky., Sept. 6-7, to compete in the Morehead State Tournament. The tournament field includes tournament host Morehead State, Montana State and Saint Louis.