INDIANAPOLIS – IU Indy battled wire-to-wire with Horizon League regular season champion Northern Kentucky on Saturday afternoon in the Jungle, falling just short in a 3–2 thriller (20–25, 25–22, 25–13, 20–25, 12–15). The Jaguars finished with 60 kills, eight aces, and 14 total blocks in one of their most competitive matches of the season against the 17–1 Norse.
Senior
Morgan Ostrowski powered the Jaguar offense with 13 kills and 11 blocks, while
Jillian Tippmann added 16 kills and setter
Grace Purichia posted 52 assists, 12 digs, and two aces. Libero
Laura Roeder anchored the back row with a match-high 24 digs.
IU Indy opened strong with early kills from
Elle Patterson and
Amanda Stephens, but NKU capitalized on a series of Jaguar attack errors to create separation midway through the frame. Although the Jags produced 12 kills and three blocks—including key stops from Ostrowski and Patterson—NKU's steadiness late helped the Norse claim the set.
The Jaguars responded with their most balanced set of the day in the second frame.
Maia Long and
Amanda Stephens combined for several momentum-shifting kills, and
Jordyn Pax delivered a crucial service ace as IU Indy built a late cushion. Tippmann collected a late kill off a Purichia assist to help even the match at one set apiece.
IU Indy dominated from start to finish in the third set, hitting a blistering .367 with 14 kills and three aces. Ostrowski took over at the net, racking up kills, blocks and pressure from the service line. Patterson and Stephens each contributed multiple kills during a 10–2 run that broke the set open, giving the Jaguars a 2–1 match lead.
Despite strong early blocking—IU Indy posted three more blocks in the frame—NKU found its rhythm offensively. Tippmann and Long kept the Jaguars close with timely kills, but the Norse closed the fourth set on a late surge to force a fifth.
A tight final set featured two early points from Tippmann, but NKU used a mid-set push to pull ahead 11–6. The Jaguars clawed back behind Long and Purichia, and a Tippmann block brought IU Indy within striking distance. Despite the late pressure, NKU secured the final points to take the match.
The Jaguars will now prepare for the Horizon League tournament. IU Indy earned the No. 4 seed and will take on No. 5 seed Milwaukee in the opening round on Friday, Nov. 21 at 6:00 PM.
