INDIANAPOLIS – It was gritty, it was hard-fought, and ultimately, it was heart-breaking.  The IUPUI volleyball team (12-20, 8-8) watched their season come to an end Friday night (Nov. 18), as the team couldn't build off of a stellar beginning against North Dakota State (14-17, 11-5), eventually falling in four sets (25-18, 22-25, 14-25, 19-25). 
 
Often flashing magnificence in her ability on the attack, Gabby Fisher led the Jags with 19 kills on a .255 clip, also picking up 13 digs.  Kori Waelbroeck added 13 kills and 11 digs, Alexis Mapes had 40 assists and 14 digs, and Jessica Helms made several hustle plays while shoveling a team-high 16 digs.  Abby Boatman tagged eight kills and five total blocks, including a pair of solo denials.  McKayla Wright also picked up 11 digs for IUPUI.
 
As a team, the Jags hit .174, picking up seven blocks to just five for North Dakota State.  The Bison hit .245, including a .405 clip in the third set.
 
The Jags worked themselves into a bit of a hole to start the first set, as a pair of misfires on the attack and a service error gave the Bison a 3-6 lead.  Looking far more nimble than they have in past matches, the Jags utilized great range on the defense, countering the Bison' attack and giving the offense a chance to set up.  Three Jag kills came over the next four points, as Fisher swatted a ball to make it a one-point set at 6-7.  Fisher knocked another kill, Boatman logged a solo block, and IUPUI battled to an 8-8 tie.  Fisher and Boatman went back-to-back to give the Jags their first lead, 10-9.  After drawing even at 12-12, Waelbroeck set up on the right-side and knocked a cross-court kill to put the Jags back on top.  She'd follow that with an ace to make it a two-point edge, but the Bison would quickly answer back for a side-out.  The Jags found a way to pour it on, as an eventual Fisher kill gave IUPUI a 17-13 lead to force a North Dakota State timeout.  It didn't slow the hard hitting Jags, as shots kept coming from both sides.  Walling and Fisher added daggers, while Boatman logged another solo block, putting IUPUI up 21-15 forcing a second Bison timeout.  Out of the break, Fisher picked up back-to-back kills to continue to add to her impressive first set, as the Jags led 23-15.  Another Boatman block gave the Jags a set-point, as they'd lock up the set on an attack error, 25-18.  Fisher finished the set with nine kills as IUPUI hit .268, while Boatman finished with two solo blocks and another assist.
 
Boatman continued to add bricks to her growing wall, as she teamed with Wright for a block to start the first set.  Waelbroeck added a kill before the Bison answered back with back-to-back points.  A premature celebration by the Bison on a diving save by the Jags cost them, as Fisher picked up a kill on the scramble.  A 4-1 run in favor of the Bison gave NDSU a two-point lead, 4-6.  Fisher answered with a bullet down the middle, followed by a Wright ace to tie the game.  IUPUI would pull ahead on a net-violation, before the Bison returned fire with a kill.  Four-straight points by the Bison put the Jags in a 7-11 hole, forcing IUPUI into a timeout.  After another Bison point, Walling ended the run with a right-side kill, making it 8-12.  Waelbroeck and Fisher picked up kills, Wright jammed down a garbage ball, and the Jags pushed it to 11-14.  The junior All-Summit League selection Waelbroeck picked up two kills, while the Jags all-time leading blocker Walling denied an attack to make it a two-point set, 14-16.  An error on the attack forced a Bison timeout, as IUPUI was surging back.  The break seemed to work, as NDSU ignited a 4-0 run to stretch it to 15-20.  The Jags remained scrappy however, getting kills from Boatman and Mapes to force NDSU into a timeout, 19-23.  After gaining a set-point, Boatman slowed the Bison celebration by grabbing a kill, followed by an attack-error by NDSU.  Boatman would add a block to make it a two-point deficit, 22-24.  The run halted on a ball that went into the net by the Jags, giving the Bison the set, 22-25.  Errors plagued IUPUI in the second set, as the Jags were limited to a .096 clip, committing eight errors to 13 kills.  Fisher added four more kills in the set, while Boatman added two blocks. 
 
Mistakes marred the start to the third set, as a net-violation against the Bison and a setting error against the Jags made up the first two points.  Two points by the Bison was answered by a kill from Walling, setting it at 2-3.  Two kills and an error pushed it to a three-point deficit, followed by yet another NDSU dagger to force a Jag timeout.  Out of the break, Mapes and Fisher went back-to-back, pushing it to 4-7.  A 5-1 run forced the Jags into another timeout, as they trailed by their largest deficit of the match, 5-12.  After a 3-1 Bison run, Fisher logged her 14th kill, making it 7-15.  Despite the set starting to slip away from the Jags, they still received a handful of highlight points, including a solo block by Mapes.  Fisher rifled her 15th and 16th kills through a pair of North Dakota State blocks, and Waelbroeck got a dig-to-kill shot to help the Jags make some noise at the end of the frame.  The Bison would go back-to-back out of a timeout to take the set, 14-25.  The Jags hit just .143, while NDSU swung a .405 clip with 19 kills. 
 
Perhaps a hangover effect from the third set, the Jags committed a handful of errors as part of a 4-0 Bison run to start the fourth frame.  A Waelbroeck kill ended the shutout run, but the Bison quickly got a side-out.  A Boatman right-side kill and a service error helped IUPUI push back, 3-7, before an errant serve gave NDSU the ball.  A right-side set to Walling led to a booming cross-court shot, but the ensuing point went in favor of the green and yellow.  A 3-1 run by the Jags helped them slowly claw back, but at 7-10 the Bison connected on a kill.  Mapes decided to go back to Waelbroeck for a deep cross-court shot, making it 8-11, before a service error negated the gain.  After an exchange between the teams, a well-placed tip by Fisher gave IUPUI the point and the ball, 10-14.  The teams would go 2-2 over the next four points, but Fisher rifled an ace down the line to make it 13-16.  Waelbroeck answered a Bison point with a right-side shot, and Boatman picked up a bad pass off the serve to force a Bison timeout, 15-17.  Out of the break, North Dakota State collected a pair of points to force the Jags into a timeout.  At 15-19, Waelbroeck hit one of the hardest balls of the night for a kill, followed by a Bison error.  Now 17-20, the Jags had to burn another timeout after a kill for the Bison dropped.  They couldn't stop the bleeding, as the Jags eventually fell, 19-25. 
 
With the loss, the Jaguars season comes to an end.  They finished the year 12-20 overall with an 8-9 record in Summit League play.  North Dakota State advances to face South Dakota in the semifinal round. 
 
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