INDIANAPOLIS – A new season and a new look to the volleyball team, the Jaguars (0-1) started off the 2016 season with a hard-fought, toughly contested 3-1 defeat at the hands of Duquesne (1-0) Friday (Aug. 26).  The Jags dropped the first two sets by a slim margin, before splitting the final two sets with the Dukes.
 
The Jags were keyed on offense by Kori Waelbroeck and Gabby Fisher, who each tallied 13 kills in the contest.  Senior Logan Walling added 11 kills on a .321 clip, also notching four block assists.  Alexis Mapes tossed 41 assists while first year libero Jessica Helms contributed 13 digs.  The Jags hit just .199 for the match, logging 50 kills to 22 errors. 
 
The match began with a tightly contested first set, in which both teams poured on kills through the first 20 points, setting the score at 10-10.  The Jags strung together four-straight points on a Waelbroeck kill, followed by three-consecutive Duquesne errors.  After a few more exchanges, and carrying a 17-12 lead, the Jags watched their lead evaporate on two kills and a trio of errors to reignite the deadlock, 17-17.  The teams continued the back-and-forth exchange until, at 22-22, the Dukes finished off the set on an IUPUI error, a kill, and a service ace, capping the first frame 22-25.
 
Once again fiercely competitive out of the gate, the teams battled to an 11-11 tie to begin the action in the second set.  An attack error by IUPUI gifted Duquesne the lead, one they would never relinquish, as the Dukes led by as much as five points throughout the set.  At 22-24, a cross-court shot by Duquesne ended the frame, putting the Jags in a hole, down 0-2 in the set count. 
 
Fighting to stay in it, the Jags caught fire midway through the third set and sprung back into the match.  Tied 10-10, IUPUI exploded for a 15-5 run, highlighted by strong play from Walling, who picked up four kills in the set.  With a set point up 24-15, Abby Boatman converted a Mapes set on a strong shot down the middle to end the frame and put the Jags on the scoreboard, 1-2.
 
From the opening point of the fourth set, Duquesne took the lead on a service error by IUPUI and never let up.  The Dukes at one point led by as many as eight points on a flurry of Jaguar errors, eventually utilizing a 5-1 run to end the set and the match, 16-25.
 
The Jaguars will be back in action tomorrow for day two of the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational, as they take on the Chippewas of Central Michigan at 12:30 p.m. inside the Jungle. 
 
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