INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indy volleyball team pushed Bellarmine to the brink on Thursday night in the Jungle, but the Jaguars came up short in a 3-1 loss (20-25, 20-25, 25-19, 24-26) to open the Hampton Inn Invitational.
 
After dropping the first two sets, the Jaguars stormed back with a decisive third-set victory and nearly forced a fifth, but Bellarmine closed out the match in extra points in the fourth frame.
 
IU Indy's offense was paced by Elle Patterson, who notched 13 kills on a .385 hitting percentage while adding 11 digs for a double-double. Morgan Ostrowski added eight kills and a team-high four blocks, while Jillian Tippmann contributed 11 kills. Setter Grace Purichia directed the offense with 41 assists and chipped in 13 digs.
 
Defensively, Laura Roeder led all players with 21 digs, and the Jaguars tallied 59 digs as a team. At the net, IU Indy finished with 10 team blocks, highlighted by contributions from Ostrowski, Tippmann, and Chloe Macias, who recorded four block assists.
 
The Jaguars out-hit Bellarmine overall (.241 to .151) and produced more kills (53 to 48), but the Knights' 11 service aces compared to just two for IU Indy proved to be the difference.
 
With the setback, IU Indy moves to 4-3 on the season. They will look to bounce back tomorrow night when they host Gonzaga in the Jungle at 7:00 PM.