INDIANAPOLIS – Three matches remain in the regular-season for the IUPUI volleyball team and the first of those three matches takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 11, when the Jaguars host Western Illinois in its final regular-season home contest. Play will begin at 7 p.m. at The Jungle.
The Jags control their own destiny in pursuit of their third consecutive Summit League regular-season title. IUPUI enters the final week with a one-game lead over Denver and South Dakota in the loss column, but following Tuesday night's tilt with the Leathernecks the Jags will have to face both the Pioneers and the Coyotes on their home floors.
IUPUI is coming off an impressive weekend in which is dispatched both Omaha and North Dakota State in three sets, with the victory over the Bison moving the Jags win streak to nine while halting their winning streak at six.
Alexis Mapes and
Beth Howard led the way on the offensive and defensive ends of the court last weekend, resulting in being named the Summit League Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively. Mapes became the first league player since 2012 to claim both the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honor in the same season, while Howard earned the fifth Defensive Player of the Week honor of her career.
In conference-only play, the Jaguars have five different players ranking in the Top 5 in the league in five different statistical categories.
Kaitlyn Hickey ranks fifth in kills averaging 4.10 kps,
Logan Walling is fifth in hitting percentage at .327, Mapes is fourth with 9.70 aps, and
Meredith Farkas is third in aces with 0.38 sa/s. Defensively, Howard is second in digs with 4.54 dps.
The Leathernecks come into the final week of league play at 5-21 overall and 3-10 in the Summit League, and they are led offensively by Ann Miller and her 3.76 kps. Western Illinois is one of the better blocking teams in the conference with 1.98 bps in league play thanks to Melanie Miller's 1.00 bps, which ranks fourth.
Live stats for Tuesday's match will be available on iupuijags.com.
