INDIANAPOLIS - Breakthrough at last for the IUPUI Jaguars volleyball team, who conquered the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons 3-1 on Friday night (Oct. 15) inside the Jungle. IUPUI snapped a 15-game losing streak with its first conference triumph to go to 3-18 (1-9 HL) while Purdue Fort Wayne dropped to 5-18 (3-7). The Jaguars outdueled the Mastodons .278 to .190 in terms of hitting percentage and 20 to 6 in block assists.
 
Notable about the victory is that it comes on the heels of a razor-thin 3-1 Tuesday setback to Oakland. IUPUI won the first set that night but dropped the next three 25-21, 27-25 and 25-22.

This time, they would not be denied.
 
Head coach Lindsey Froehlich was ecstatic.

"I was near tears because I was so proud of them," she admitted. "Even everyone on the bench being invested and cheering. Everyone has to be able to fill their role in order for us to be successful, and I think that we were able to do that tonight."
 
The Jaguars attacked aggressively in set one, going up 8-3 by way of six straight points. A Katie Crowe ace helped swing momentum back towards Purdue Fort Wayne, which tied the game on an 8-2 run that prompted a timeout from Froehlich. The Mastodons eventually took a four-point lead, but IUPUI did not back down, fighting to a 21-21 tie. Maddie Haines and Brown gave the home team life with two late kills and Sidney Veatch capped off a 25-22 set win.
 
In set two, Emily Alan struck twice (she had five opening-set kills), and the Jaguar defense dug up multiple tough balls to take a 7-3 advantage. Crowe again responded with an ace and Purdue Fort Wayne quickly erased the deficit with a 5-0 run. A big block by Alan and Haines and a deceptive serve from Brown helped the Jaguars surge late, teeing up five set points. IUPUI took another 25-22 victory, winning at least two sets in a game for the first time since September 28.
 
"Something we talked about this week was being brave, taking brave swings and not being afraid to make mistakes," Froehlich said. "And I think they really took that to heart."
 
The Jaguars were noticeably fired up to begin set three, but found themselves in tough against an opponent battling to stay alive. After a hotly contested start, Fort Wayne pulled ahead on a 7-1 run and did not let up. Two straight aces from Madelyn Wurster helped put the Mastodons up 18-11, and eventually to seven set points that they made good on. The visitors took the third frame 25-20.
 
"It was kind of like a slap in the face," Alan said. "I just felt like we got a little too comfortable and we just needed to push on the gas pedal a little bit more."
 
The fourth set again opened as a competitive affair. A thunderous left-handed kill from Brooke Phillips put the Jaguars up two, but Maggie Castleman responded from the service line to give Purdue Fort Wayne a lead late in the set. IUPUI was able to pull even thanks to two inopportune Mastodon errors, arriving eventually at 24-24.
 
Alan and Crowe traded errors from there, giving the Jaguars one more chance to rally—which they did. Veatch and Millai Madison combined for an emphatic block to tee up match point, and Phillips finished it off with a clutch ace for the 27-25 victory.
 
A sophomore transfer, Phillips was not going to be overcome by the moment. "Just make this serve, make an ace," she remembers thinking at the line. "That's all I wanted. And then I just served an ace. It just happened."
 
Phillips dished out 46 assists and two aces, including the game winner. Meanwhile, Brown fired a game-high 16 kills along with eight digs. Alan was not far behind with 12 kills, while Haines contributed 11. Defensively, Addie Evans led IUPUI with 15 digs and Rhiannon Schuenemann added 11.
 
After the game, the entire team gathered on the court, sharing an emotional moment. Tears flowed and hugs were exchanged as the Jaguars reveled in their triumph: the result of weeks of toil and perseverance.
 
"This is my first conference win as a Jaguar, and to have it with these girls is so amazing," said Alan. "And to have it with Lindsey. We worked so hard for this and to finally get the outcome that we wanted is so awesome."
 
IUPUI heads for Chicago next Thursday to take on the UIC Flames at 7 P.M. Eastern. It's a new challenge that the Jaguars eagerly await.
 
"That was just a little bit of IUPUI volleyball," Phillips said. "We have so much more to give."