FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Hoping to channel some of the late-match magic from the last time these two teams met, the IUPUI volleyball team (11-16, 7-5) was unable to find an answer for Fort Wayne (12-15, 8-5) Tuesday (Nov. 1), dropping the match in straight-sets (11-25, 24-26, 12-25) to fall a couple places in the Summit League standings.
Kori Waelbroeck led her team with 13 kills on a .407 clip, also picking up 10 digs in the double-double effort.
Gabby Fisher tallied 10 kills and 11 digs, her 12th double-double of the season, while
Alexis Mapes tossed 27 assists.
Logan Walling added four kills and three blocks.
Less than the manner in which they hoped to start, the Jags were absolutely stunned from the beginning to the end of the first set. Down 1-5 after two kills and two errors, the Jags found themselves playing catch up to begin the match. The closest they were able to get was 6-9, following kills from Waelbroeck and
Elizabeth Scott, but the 'Dons managed to pull away once again. Hitting just .167 for the set, the Jags only picked up eight kills on 30 attempts, committing three errors along the way. They'd fall in the set by a wide margin, 11-25. Waelbroeck picked up five kills on 10 attempts, hitting .500 for the frame. The Jags were held without a block.
After another less than ideal start, the Jags found themselves down once again, this time by a three-point margin to start set number two. At 6-9, IUPUI utilized a 3-0 run, thanks to a pair of Walling blocks, to tie the game at 9-all. The teams would battle back-and-forth, eventually setting the score at 12-13. Fisher would knock a trio of kills, eventually giving the Jags a two-point cushion, 15-13. Following a Fort Wayne timeout, Fisher would make it four in-a-row, getting a left side kill down the line. The 'Dons took exception, slashing a pair of kills to cut into the Jag' lead. After an attack error, they'd make it a 4-1 run, tying the game at 17-17. Mapes halted the skid, recording a solo block to regain the lead for IUPUI. After a point the other way, Walling knocked back-to-back kills, making it a 20-18 game. After a 'Dons point, Walling went back to work, crushing another shot to make it 21-19. Waelbroeck would add a shot to make it 23-20, but the moment was soured by a yellow card warning issued to the Jags.
After a timeout, the 'Dons went off for three in a row, tying the game at 23. A well-placed tip shot by Scott gave IUPUI a set-point, but the following point produced a net violation against the Jags, once again tying the game. The ensuing serve had all the makings of a home-court advantage, as the ball tipped the net and halted, falling to the court before any Jags could make it to the dead duck. With a set-point now in favor of Fort Wayne, the 'Dons picked up a kill to end the set, 24-26. IUPUI improved to a .234 clip, picking up 15 kills on 47 sets. The Jags picked up four blocks in the set, while Fisher led IUPUI with six kills. Walling tallied four kills in the set.
Kills dominated the first four points, as Waelbroeck and Fisher each knocked a point to make it a 2-2 game. A 5-1 run by the 'Dons, thanks to four IUPUI errors, gave them a big lead, 3-7. Three kills stretched the lead during a 2-4 run, making it 5-11. After an IUPUI timeout, the Jags would get the ball back thanks to a bad serve. Another misfire made it two in-a-row for the Jags, cutting the deficit to four points. A 2-6 run would put the Jags in a deeper hole, down 9-17. Despite picking up a pair of points on a Waelbroeck kill and an error, the deficit grew, putting the Jags down 11-20. Four-straight points by the 'Dons set up a match point, which came on a left-side kill to end it, 12-25.
With the loss, the Jags will look to rebound at home with a pair of contests, slated for Friday (Nov. 4) against South Dakota and Saturday (Nov. 5) against North Dakota State.
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