TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State volleyball snapped a nine-match losing skid Friday night in exciting fashion as the Sycamores defeated Cal State-Fullerton in five sets (25-14, 25-11, 22-25, 24-26, 15-2) to open the Sycamore Invitational.  
 
The trio of Laura Gross (21), Cassie Kawa (15) and Nikkie White (11) led the charge for the Sycamores with double-digit kills. Gross recorded her team-best seventh double-double of the season with a 21 kill - 16 dig performance. Damadj Johnson reached double-figure blocks for the second time this season with 10 in the match.
 
The Sycamores dominated the first two sets to take a 2-0 lead into the break but Fullerton made adjustments to their game plan and eked out two close sets to eventually tie the match at two sets each.
 
That was when the Sycamore offense and defense both came alive to the tune of a 15-2 fifth set to claim the victory.
 
The ISU frontline combined for 16 blocks on the night but none were more important than 5.5 blocks they came away with in the fifth set. The duo of Johnson and White combined for nearly five blocks in the fifth set alone while the ISU defense held the Titans to a -.500 hitting percentage to close out the match.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Indiana State outhit Cal State-Fullerton .220 to .067 on the night. It marked the best defensive match for the Sycamores on the season.
• Rachel Griffin assisted on 45 Sycamore kills while Stephanie Bindernagel tallied 15 digs.
• The win marks the first five-set win for the Sycamores this season.
• Junior Laura Gross was on serve for 13 of the 15 Sycamore points in the final set.

The Sycamores return to the court Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the finale of the Sycamore Invitation when they take on Eastern Illinois. Both CSU and EIU will play Saturday at 11 a.m.  
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Volleyball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.