CLEVELAND, Ohio – Despite holding Cleveland State to its lowest hitting percentage of the Horizon League schedule, IUPUI was not able to keep pace with the defending league champions and fell 3-0 to the Vikings on Friday night (Oct. 5).

IUPUI (5-15, 2-4 Horizon) held Cleveland State (11-6, 5-0 Horizon) to just a .141 hitting percentage as the Jags finished the match with a season-high 94 digs and tallied 11 blocks, one shy of tying their season-high. Five Jaguars finished with double-digit digs led by senior Maggie Gibson with a season-high 20. Fellow senior Elizabeth Scott tallied 19 digs followed by Rebecca Schlechte with 18, Rhiannon Schuenemann with 16 and Rachel Hickey with 10.

At the net, Abby Boatman led all Jags with six blocks. Haley Hoffman and Schlechte each had five and Gibson posted four.

While the defense shined, the offense struggled as Cleveland State held the Jags to a .065 hitting clip and posted 12 blocks as a team to go along with 92 digs of their own. IUPUI was led on the offensive end by McKayla Wright, who finished with nine kills. It was the first match since the Jags loss at Bowling Green on Sept. 14 that IUPUI did not have a player reach double-digit kills.

The Jags jumped out to an early lead in the first set, using a 3-0 run with kills from Boatman and Schlechte and a block by the duo of Boatman and Maddie Dean to go up 11-7. After a block by Hoffman put the Jags up 13-9 Cleveland State responded with a 4-0 run to tie the set. The frame would go back-and-forth until IUPUI tied the set at 22 with kills by Hoffman and Gibson. The comeback was cut short as Cleveland State took the next three points to win the set.

Cleveland State jumped on IUPUI to begin the second set, taking an early 10-2 lead and pushing the lead to 17-7 after a 4-0 run. The Jags would try to battle back using a 5-0 run that featured two kills from both Gibson and Wright to pull within four and IUPUI cut the lead to three at 23-20 after a block by Boatman and Schlechte. Again, Cleveland State withstood the Jags rally and scored the next two points to end the set and take a 2-0 lead.

IUPUI opened the third set strong looking to keep the match going, jumping out to a 4-1 lead and using a 4-0 run, thanks in part to two kills by Boatman to go up 10-6. But Cleveland State had an answer for every Jaguar run and always responded by pulling within one or tying the set. After a kill by Wright put IUPUI up 18-17, the Vikings scored six-straight points. IUPUI managed to get back in to the match with a 5-0 run beginning with a kill from Wright. Scott followed with two kills and after an error, Gibson's kill knotted the set at 23. Once again, the Jags could not finish the set and Cleveland State scored the next two points to win the match.

The Jaguars will return home for two matches next weekend, the first coming on Friday, Oct. 12 against Wright State and will begin at 6 p.m. in the Jungle.