INDIANAPOLIS – Getting down to the final pair of weeks in the regular season, the battle for Summit League standings is heating up as IUPUI (11-16, 7-5) will host a pair of high-ranking opponents this weekend, starting with first-place South Dakota (21-5, 10-2) Friday (Nov. 4) at 7 p.m. EST, followed by third-place North Dakota State (10-16, 8-4) Saturday at 6 p.m., both in the Jungle. The Saturday bout will mark Senior Day for three Jaguars, as
Alexis Mapes,
Abby Horn and
Logan Walling will play in their final home game of their college careers.
Currently sitting in fifth-place, the Jags will aim to increase their standings and secure their spot in the Summit League Tournament, scheduled for Nov. 18-20 in Denver, Colorado. A third-place team just a few days ago, Head Coach Steve Payne and his program understand the importance of these final weeks, as the team will follow up its home stand with a pair of matches against Western Illinois and Oral Roberts, both on the road.
Mapes is currently the second-highest averaging setter in the Summit League, tallying 9.61 assists-per-set with 903 total (third-best).
Logan Walling tops all players in the League with 23 solo blocks and is currently fifth with 81 total blocks.
Kori Waelbroeck leads the team with 336 kills this season, averaging 3.57 per set.
Abby Boatman is tied for second-most in the League with 1.09 blocks-per-set, while totaling a second-best 98 on the year. A double-double machine this year,
Gabby Fisher has picked up 12 such performances on 288 kills and 298 digs. She leads the team with 32 aces and had a team-high 111 kills during the month of October.
A juggernaut so far in the Summit League, South Dakota has regularly produced W's since starting the year 17-2. They have eight straight-set sweeps against Summit League foes, including a sweep of the Jags back on Oct. 7. They've dropped just two matches against other League opponents, coming against the second-place Pioneers and the third-place Bison. All-time, the Jags are 8-4 against the Coyotes, but the teams split the last six matches at 3-3, dating back to the 2014 season.
It has been a drastic turnaround for the Bison since starting their year 0-6, and eventually 2-11. The team won three of its first four Summit League contests, including a sweep of the Jags at home on Sep. 24 in Fargo, North Dakota. The team has won its last three matches, and four of the last five, with the only loss coming in a non-conference bout with North Dakota. They split their season series with first-place South Dakota, going 1-1 and most recently coming off a four set victory over the 'Yotes. Three of their four Summit League losses have come in five sets, dropping contests to Denver, Fort Wayne and Omaha. All-time, the Bison hold the edge over the Jags, going 14-7 dating back to the 2006 season. The Jags lost their first 12 matches against North Dakota State, before reeling off seven-straight from 2012 to 2015. The Bison have won the last two meetings between these teams.
All fans planning to attend either of the weekend matches are cautioned that there will be a high amount of traffic inside the Natatorium over the weekend. A high-school swim meet will be taking place in the pool, producing a heightened occupancy of the premise. This will create congestion not just moving into the Jungle, but in the parking lots as well. Please plan accordingly.
Horn, Mapes and Walling will be honored prior to the start of the match Saturday.
