CINCINNATI – The IU Indy volleyball team battled through momentum swings to earn a five-set victory over Miami (OH) on Saturday evening at the Cintas Center. Freshman Jillian Tippmann totaled 19 kills to lead the Jaguars' offense.
 
The Jaguars opened strong, but ultimately fell in a back-and-forth first set, 28-26. Miami answered late to claim the opener, but IU Indy responded by controlling the next two frames, 25-20 and 25-17, behind efficient hitting from Tippmann (19 kills, .308) and setter Grace Purichia's 50 assists.
 
Miami forced a deciding set with a convincing 25-16 win in the fourth, capitalizing on IU Indy errors. In the race to 15, the Jaguars regrouped and closed out the match 15-13.
 
IU Indy finished with 70 kills on .214 hitting, while holding Miami to a .178 clip. Ninah Miranda (14 kills, 16 digs) and Elle Patterson (14 kills, 8 digs) provided balance, while Laura Roeder anchored the defense with 18 digs. The Jaguars' back court tallied 73 digs overall, highlighted by strong contributions from Miranda, Roeder, and Purichia.
 
Despite Miami's strong performance from Molly Creech (15 kills, 10 digs) and Lydia Michelin (7 kills, 10 blocks), the Jaguars' resilience proved decisive in crunch time.
 
The Jaguars improved to 4-2 on the season after pulling out the decisive fifth set. They will now return to Indianapolis to host the annual Hampton Inn Invitational starting on Thursday, Sept. 11. IU Indy will face Bellarmine in the opening match with first serve set for 7:00 PM.