Box Score (html) |
Box Score (.pdf)
VERMILLION, S.D. – With IUPUI's goal of a third straight Summit League Regular-Season Championship on the line, senior
Meredith Farkas put the Jaguars on her back and carried them past South Dakota, 3-2, to secure a share of the regular-season championship Sunday afternoon at the Dakota Dome.
With the win, IUPUI finished with a 13-3 Summit League mark to claim the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Summit League Tournament, which will be held No. 21-23 on IUPUI's home floor. Denver, who also finished at 13-3, earned a share of their first conference regular-season title and will be the No. 1 seed in the tournament based on tiebreakers. It marks the third straight season that the Jaguars have at least claimed a share of the regular-season title.
Defensively, fellow senior
Beth Howard led all players with 27 digs and
Logan Walling paced the team with eight blocks at the net. Farkas,
Alexis Mapes and
Kaitlyn Hickey all posted double-doubles with Farkas adding 17 digs to her 21 kills, Mapes posting 45 assists and 16 digs, and Hickey tacking on 16 kills and 16 digs.
"South Dakota played a great match and it is tough to win there, but I couldn't be happier for our seniors. Meredith and Beth both had great matches and to earn another regular-season championship is special," head coach
Steve Payne said.
"It just shows that we have some determination and the experience from the past couple years helped us pull out a fifth set win when it really mattered."
South Dakota snapped IUPUI's 18-match home Summit League winning streak earlier this season, and the Jags returned the favor on Sunday snapping USD's 17-match home winning streak against league opponents.
Three kills apiece from
Kelly Wachtel and Farkas helped the Jags get off to a strong start in the opening set, before consecutive kills from Walling put IUPUI in front, 9-3. The lead reached eight points, 15-7, on a Wachtel kill, and from that point the Coyotes could not close within less than five resulting in a comfortable 25-18 opening-set win.
The second set was much closer from the outset, but a run midway through the set helped give the Jags the first large lead of the set. Trailing 10-9, three USD errors fueled a six-point spurt that catapulted IUPUI in front, 15-10. The Coyotes rallied and evened the score at 20-20, but kills from Hickey and Farkas reestablished a 22-20 cushion. Six side outs ensued to finish off a 25-23 second-set win for the Jags, with the last of those side outs coming on a Walling solo block.
Out of the 10-minute break, the Coyotes controlled a majority of the third set and appeared to easily have the set locked up. However, a kill from
Gabby Fisher kickstarted a seven-point run that inched the Jaguars within one at 23-22. IUPUI remained within a point at 24-23, but a Kendall Kritenbrink kill gave USD a 25-23 third-set win.
The Coyotes continued the momentum in the fourth set getting out to another sizeable lead before winning the set, 25-20, to force a decisive fifth set.
With all the momentum on South Dakota's side, three Coyotes errors, two Farkas kills and an IUPUI block led the Jags to a 6-3 lead in the race to 15 points. USD managed to even the score at 9-9, but three straight Farkas kills placed the Jags in front, 12-9. Four side outs ensued, moving the Jaguars cushion to 14-11, and a Coyotes attack error finished off the 15-11 win.
The Summit League Tournament begins on Friday, Nov. 21, at The Jungle for a pair of games between #3 South Dakota and #6 Fort Wayne, and No. 4 Oral Roberts and No. 5 North Dakota State. IUPUI and Denver both have first-round byes and will play the winners both of Friday's matches on Saturday, Nov. 22, with IUPUI playing the nightcap at 7 p.m.
