TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State volleyball team dropped a heartbreaker to Drake Monday evening, falling in five sets [25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 22-25, 8-15] after leading the match 2-0 in ISU Arena.
 
The Sycamores, now 6-9 (6-8 MVC), jumped ahead early thanks to a well-balanced attack that kept the Bulldogs, who move to 10-5 (8-4 MVC), on their heels. The offense was clicking early, as ISU hit .351 and .234 in the first two sets, respectively, while the defense held DU to .243 and .045.
 
Drake flipped the script after that, however, hitting .214, .261, and .304 in the remaining three sets, while limiting Indiana State to .148, .192, and .074.
 
The dynamic duo of Katilyn Hamilton and Kylie Newby shined on the offensive side of the ball, finishing with 15 and 13 kills, respectively, both setting new career-highs. Both Sycamore setters, Mary Hannah Lewis and Chloe Mason, finished with 28 assists, while Mason also set a new career-high in kills with four.
 
Libero Melina Tedrow once again led the defensive effort for Indiana State, finishing with a match-high 28 digs, while Taylor Shelton chipped in 20 of her own. Newby chipped in on the defensive front as well, finishing with four blocks.
 
Indiana State found itself on the short end of the match despite finishing with more kills, 67-64, and more assists, 64-63. Drake held the advantage in service aces, 5-4, and had more digs, 109-105.
 
The Sycamores return to action in a week, hitting the road for a pair of matches at Valparaiso, March 21 and 22. The matches will be streamed live on The Valley on ESPN.

For the latest information on Sycamore Volleyball, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.