INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indianapolis volleyball team took down cross-town rival Butler University, 3-1, in a packed Jungle Wednesday evening. The Jaguars clawed their way to victory after falling in the first set. Elle Patterson and Maia Long led the way with 10 kills apiece, while middle blockers Carly Doros and Morgan Ostrowski added nine each along with outside Ava Harris. Grace Purichia was all over the court, leading the team in aces (2) while adding 13 digs and a game-high 35 assists.
 
Jaguars' Doros got off to a scorching start, recording the first three kills for the hosts as they jumped out to an early lead. The Bulldogs, however, tallied the next six points, including two kills apiece from Grace Boggess and Abby Maesch. The run forced head coach Andrew Kroger to call an early timeout.
 
The short break boosted the squad, leading to three straight points to cut the deficit to one, 9-8. The visitors increased their lead over the next several points, reaching a six-point advantage, 20-14, before Kroger called another timeout. Maesch continued to lead the way for the Bulldogs in the first set, adding two to lead all players with four.
 
Butler clung to its lead, but called a timeout after a service ace from Ostrowski trimmed the advantage. Needing just two points to close out the set following the break, the visitors again looked to Maesch, who forced set point after her fifth kill of the set. Butler didn't take long to take set one, earning the final point on its sixth block of the set. Destiny Cherry led the way with three block assists and a solo block.
 
With some help from a rowdy crowd in the Jungle, the Jags got off to a hot start in set two. The Bulldogs remained composed and were assisted by multiple service errors to take control of the set. Despite racking up five service errors in the set, the Jaguars picked up the intensity from the service line, leading to a 16-15 lead after an ace from Long.
 
Butler head coach, Kyle Shondell, was forced to call his first timeout of the match after a Patterson kill stretched the lead to three. Following the timeout, Harris came up with a huge solo block to add to the advantage. Butler, however, would not go down without a fight, garnering four of the next six points to make it just a two-point lead. An excellent roll shot by Long forced another timeout by the visitors with just two points to go to close out the set. Both squads registered blocks before an ace from Maesch put the pressure back on IU Indy. Coach Kroger, recognizing the importance of the point, called a timeout to get his team set up. Despite giving up a point on a Sawyer Jones kill, Maesch served the ball into the net to even the match at one set apiece.
 
Set three began exactly how set two ended, with a Bulldog service error. The Jags would follow that up with an ace from Purichia. The teams battled back and forth until a Jaguar block (Doros and Purichia) gave the team a five-point lead and forced a Bulldog timeout. Purichia added two timely kills to go along with a block assist and a service ace in the set to spark the squad.
 
Out of the break, Butler collected four of the next five tallies to keep it close. The intensity from both sides picked up throughout the set as they swapped blows. A kill from Long and back-to-back errors from Maesch forced a second timeout of the set from the visitors.
 
The Bulldogs looked to their leader again after the break, but coach Kroger had his team ready and Doros and Purichia were there for the block. Like the second set, the visitors would not back down, recording four of five tallies to cut the deficit to two. Following an IU Indy timeout, the advantage would be trimmed to one on a Cherry block, but a savvy play from Purichia caught the Bulldog defense off guard to claim the set and an edge in the match.
 
Set four was a battle from the first serve. Butler claimed a small advantage towards the beginning of the set when they scored four straight points on the back of two blocks. IU Indianapolis, however, kept fighting, never falling behind by more than three points after an early timeout from coach Kroger.
 
The team took its first lead in the set, 15-14, after three straight tallies, including kills from Harris and Patterson. The Bulldogs were forced to call a timeout after falling behind 18-15, on the back of a Harris ace. The visitors tied the set at 21 after an ace by Lauren Evans. Following a Jaguar timeout, the teams split the next four points. With Patterson at the service line, Harris and Kate White recorded the final two points on massive swings, securing the victory.
 
IU Indy will now head to Louisville for the Bellarmine Classic, where it will take on Cincinnati and hosts Bellarmine on Friday (Sept. 6) followed by UAB on Saturday (Sept. 7).