INDIANAPOLIS – In the first-ever meeting as Division I opponents, the IUPUI volleyball team (5-5) took down in-state Southern Indiana (4-6) three sets to one. After dropping the first set the Jags roared back, tallying 20 more kills than the visitors to win three straight sets and end its four-game losing streak.
The match started off with a bang, with
Morgan Ostrowski hammering a quick set from
Grace Purichia for the first point. Following a Jaguar ace, the Screaming Eagles rattled off four straight points to take an early lead, 8-3.
IUPUI would go on a run of its own, cutting the lead to two following a brilliant play from Purichia at the net and a block by
Emily Alan and
Ava Harris. The teams went back and forth for the next several points leading up to the media timeout.
Following the break, the Jags won six of eight points to take a 19-17 advantage. The Screaming Eagles, however, went on a 3-0 run to retake the lead before a
Kate White cross-court kill knotted the set at 20.
Back-to-back long rallies that featured good defense by both squads led to Southern Indiana points, forcing IUPUI head coach
Andrew Kroger to call a timeout.
The teams split the next four points after the timeout, leading to set point for the Screaming Eagles. Following the set's fourth challenge, the visitors were awarded the point to close out the first set, 25-22.
A great solo block from Ostrowski opened set number two. She followed that up with another powerful kill. Long then went off the block for three quick points from the hosts.
Southern Indiana was forced to call a timeout after falling behind 9-4. After the break, the Jags gathered five of the next six tallies to put a stranglehold on the second set, 14-5.
Despite giving up four of the next five points, IUPUI strung together three straight kills to stretch the lead to nine. Southern Indiana cut the IUPUI lead to six, 21-15, before a service error gave the serve back to the hosts. Ostrowski's third block of the match closed out set two, 25-17, tying the match at one set apiece.
The Jag's stellar blocking continued into the third set, with both middle blockers—Alan and Ostrowski—registering solo blocks. The Screaming Eagle's scrappy play kept the score close, with the hosts clinging to a two-point lead, 15-13, at the media timeout.
IUPUI's middle's dominance extended to the offensive side of the ball as well, with the final four kills before the break belonging to Alan and Ostrowski.
Three quick points after the break led to a Southern Indiana timeout. Harris tied her career high in kills with a powerful swing down the line to stretch the IUPUI lead to eight, 22-14. Just two points later, the freshman hit one off the block to secure a new career high with 14 kills. Fellow freshman,
Kate White, gave her team the lead on her seventh kill of the evening to close out the set 25-17.
The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair from start to finish, with neither team holding greater than a two-point lead through the media timeout. The visitors reached 15 first, leading to the break, but the Jags tallied five straight to take a 18-15 lead, forcing a timeout from the Screaming Eagles.
After splitting the next four points, Southern Indiana collected two straight tallies to cut the deficit to one. The visitors would go on to tie the set at 21, and the squads halved the next four points before a monster kill by Long gave IUPUI match point. Ostrowski capped her career night with the match-sealing tally, winning 25-23 in the fourth and final set.
Harris ended the evening with a match-high 16 kills. She was followed by a tandem of freshman—White with 10 and Long with nine. Ostrowski also ended with nine kills and a match-and-season-high four blocks, including three solo blocks. Alan followed closely behind, recording three total blocks and seven kills. Setter
Grace Purichia also matched a career high of 45 assists.
IUPUI will now travel to Terre Haute, Ind. to face another intrastate foe, Indiana State, on Friday (Sept. 15). The match will be streamed on ESPN+ with first serve set for 6 p.m.
