TERRE HAUTE, IND. ?
The Indiana State volleyball team did not wait to make their mark on the opening home match of the 2008 season Tuesday night in the ISU Arena, taking the first two sets over visiting the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
After dropping the third set, the Sycamores came fighting back, dominating action in the fourth set to take a 3-1 win over the Panthers.
It was the first home court win in the ISU Arena for the Indiana State volleyball team since a 3-1 victory over Drake in 2006. The Sycamores did defeat Chicago State 3-1 at home last season but that match was played in the Hulman Center.
The victory improves the Sycamores to 3-2 in the early going. Indiana State will now hit the road for four matches in the University of Memphis Tournament, which begins on Friday with the Sycamores taking on Troy at 9 a.m.
Indiana State will tangle with Iona College at 4:30 p.m. Friday, play Memphis at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and then wrap up the action with a 4:30 p.m. match against IUPUI. The Sycamores will play one more non-conference match before the start of Missouri Valley Conference action when they visit Butler next Tuesday.
Junior Whitney Fromm had 40 assists and 20 digs in the match to pace the Sycamores while Kelli Whitaker had 16 kills and Sarah Agnich 13. Kristy Cox had 34 digs and Stephanie Meier 11 for the Sycamores.
The first set was tied six times with four lead changes. Indiana State trailed 21-19 late in the set but was able to tie the set for the final time at 22 off a kill by Agnich. Two Whitaker kills and an Agnich service ace propelled the Sycamores to a 25-22 win in the first set.
The second set was also a close battle with eight ties and five lead changes. The Sycamores had a 10-5 lead at one point but Eastern Illinois whittled away at that advantage and finally tied the match at 16. However, Indiana State got the momentum back with three straight points, pulling away for a 25-19 victory.
The momentum went the other way in the third set as Eastern Illinois broke away from an 8-all tie to build a 14-10 lead. Indiana State fought back to tie the set for the final time at 15 but the Panthers outscored the Sycamores 10-3 the rest of the set to take a 25-18 win.
If momentum can go one way, it can go another and so it did in the fourth set. Eastern looked to use that momentum from the third set to get another win in the fourth set, taking a 6-3 lead early in the set. Indiana State would not fold, however, fighting back to tie the set at seven and then scoring three straight points to go up 10-7.
The Sycamores would not look back, taking their biggest lead of the set, and of the match, at 22-11 off an Agnich kill. Indiana State held off another Panther rally and took a 25-16 win.
The Sycamores finished with a .120 hitting percentage, holding the Panthers to just .044.
