VERMILLION, S.D. – Another difficult matchup yielded another tough loss for the IUPUI volleyball team (6-14, 2-3), as the team fell in straight-sets to first-place South Dakota (18-25, 22-25, 12-25) on the road Friday (Oct. 7). The loss marks just the fourth time in program history the Jags have fallen to the Coyotes.
Consistent with the story of the season so far, the Jags were strong off the block, picking up eight blocks to four for South Dakota. However, they lacked the offensive efficiency needed to be competitive in the match, hitting just .089 as a team, committing 16 errors to 27 kills. The Coyotes had 52 kills in the match, committing just 14 errors.
Kori Waelbroeck and
Gabby Fisher each had eight kills in the match.
After a competitive showing to start the match through the first 24 points, the Coyotes broke up a 12-12 tie on a kill by Rachel Schmidt. From there, South Dakota went on a 5-1 run, giving their team what would ultimately be an insurmountable lead. Six kills, a service ace and an error by IUPUI would key the Coyotes victory in the first set, as they eventually prevailed, 25-18.
The Jags managed to work their way to a slim lead midway through the second set, as a service error spotted IUPUI a 15-13 lead. Once again, the Coyotes would reel off a big run, outscoring the Jags 7-1 over the next eight points to give them a sizeable advantage. The Jags would battle back, tying the game at 21 on a kill by Waelbroeck, but would eventually fall with the final score 25-22.
A nightmarish beginning to what the Jags hoped would be their chance to rally, the Coyotes put on a scoring barrage while locking up a 7-0 advantage to begin the third frame. Seven attack errors thwarted the Jags efforts, as the team would fall quietly in the third and final set, 25-12. IUPUI hit just .026 in the set.
With the loss, the Jags will look to bounce back against Omaha Saturday night (Oct. 8) in Omaha, Nebraska.
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