KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. ? The Indiana State volleyball team won their second straight game Tuesday night as they concluded a four-game road swing with a 3-1 (25-20, 25-22, 20-25, 25-19) victory over the IUPUI Jaguars before 371 fans in The Jungle on the campus of IUPUI.
Indiana State (3-1) will begin the home portion of their season this weekend as they host the ISU/Drury Inn Classic on Friday and Saturday. The Sycamores will take on SIU Edwardsville at 7 p.m. (ET) Friday, Western Carolina at 1 p.m. (ET) Saturday, and conclude the tournament against Montana State at 7 p.m. (ET) Saturday.
Senior Ana Maira Charun led three Sycamores into double figures in kills with 14. Sophomore Morgan Dall had a double-double in recording 13 kills and 17 digs while sophomore Auriel Armstrong had 10 kills and a career high eight blocks. Sophomore Shea Doran had a career high seven blocks.
Freshman Loni Mackinson had a double-double with a career high 27 assists and 12 digs. Junior Shelbi Fouty added 13 assists while junior Kiya James had 25 digs.
Indiana State trailed 14-8 midway through the first set before the Sycamores rallied with a pair of blocks by Shea Doran, one with Stacy Qualizza and the other with Auriel Armstrong. Two kills by Qualizza and one each by Morgan Dall and Ana Maira Charun along with a Shelbi Fouty service ace brought ISU closer, and three IUPUI errors put ISU on top 19-17. The Jaguars rallied to knot the score at 20 but the Sycamores were able to score the final five points, the winner coming on an Armstrong kill, to take the opening set 25-20.
The Sycamores trailed early in the second set but back-to-back kills by Charun and Armstrong put ISU on top to stay 8-7. Indiana State was able to lead by as many as five points midway through the set but IUPUI was able to come back and cut ISU's lead to two, 24-22. Dall gave the Sycamores a 25-22 win with a kill off a set by Mackinson.
ISU pulled out to a 6-2 lead early in the third set but could not hold the momentum. IUPUI rallied with an 8-0 run to go up 10-6 and the Jaguars never looked back. The Sycamores did rally to cut the deficit to two at 18-16 off a block by Armstrong and Doran but Indiana State could not get back even and dropped the set 20-25.
The fourth set was tied seven times with four lead changes as each side fought to gain control of the set. Two Charun kills and one each from junior Stacy Qualizza and Mackinson rallied the Sycamores to an 18-17 lead which they did not relinquish. Another Qualizza kill and a Mackinson service ace pushed the ISU lead to 22-18. ISU was able to post the victory by scoring the final three points off of two Doran kills and a block by Qualizza and Dall.
The Sycamores have never lost a game at IUPUI (6-0) and ended a two-game losing streak (both at home) to the Jaguars with the victory Tuesday. Indiana State now leads the series 16-2.
