EAST LANSING, Mich. – In the final game of the Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational, Cincinnati came out on top over Indiana State, 3-0.
 
The Sycamores battled the Bearcats tough through most of the match before falling 3-0 [25-19, 25-21, 25-11].
 
Redshirt senior Cassie Kawa was named to the Spartan Invitational All-Tournament team, her second consecutive weekend being named to an all-tournament team. This weekend Kawa totaled 17 kills and six blocks.
 
Redshirt senior Cassie Kawa and junior Nikkie White led the offensive attack for the Trees on Saturday afternoon, recording six and seven kills, respectively. As a team, ISU didn't make a ton of mistakes when attacking, registering 26 kills to just three errors. Indiana State also had a better hitting day against Cincinnati, finishing at .198.
 
The Bearcats, who are receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association top-25, had a productive day attacking the net, ending the match with 51 kills while hitting .390. They were led by Maria Mallon who tallied 20 kills and nine digs.
 
Libero Melina Tedrow was the defensive standout for the blue and white, finishing with 11 digs out of the team's 26. Cincinnati ended the day with 47 digs.
 
Set One - Cincinnati 25, Indiana State 18

• Indiana State was strong at the net during the first frame, recording two total blocks while White earned two blocks of her own.
• Good serving helped the Trees battle the Bearcats in set one as ISU held the edge in service aces, 3-0.
• Freshmen Taylor Shelton, Gretchen Kuckkan and redshirt senior Kawa each recorded two kills in the set, helping ISU to 10 total kills. Cincinnati finished the frame with 19.

 
Set Two - Cincinnati 25, Indiana State 21

• ISU fought the Bearcats well in set two, ending the set with 10 kills while hitting .167. White led the charge with four kills of her own.
• Cincinnati stepped up their defense at the net, tallying three blocks in the second frame.
• Freshman setter Chloe Mason put up five assists to help boost the Sycamore offense.
• The Trees only registered one attack error compared to the Bearcats' six.

 
Set Three - Cincinnati 25, Indiana State 11

• A 5-0 run early in the set followed by a 4-0 run gave the Bearcats the spark they needed to overcome the Sycamores.
• Indiana State didn't play poorly on the offensive end, as they recorded their best hitting percentage of the match at .250 and ended with no attack errors.
• On the other hand, the Bearcats tightened their play and hit .538 with 16 kills.
• ISU did end the set with a 2-1 advantage in blocks.

 
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