VALPARAISO, Ind. – Kaitlyn Hamilton and Jamie Brown had seven kills apiece for Indiana State Saturday evening, but it wasn't enough for the Sycamores in a three-set loss to Valparaiso (25-13, 25-19, 25-18) inside the Athletics-Recreation Center.
 
Emma Kaelin finished with 25 assists for the Trees, while Melina Tedrow had nine digs. Hamilton had eight digs, the second-most in a match in her career.
 
Indiana State used kills by Brown and Storm Suhre to tie the first set at 7-all early on, but a six-point run for Valpo followed as the Sycamores were unable to generate momentum. Brown had four kills on five attempts in the opening set, but the Beacons had everything clicking in the first and took the opener 25-13.
 
Valpo raced out to a 9-2 lead in the second set, but the Sycamores clawed their way back. A kill by Taylor Shelton kickstarted a 10-1 run for the Blue and White that put Indiana State ahead 14-13. Indiana State had kills from four different players during the run, while also taking advantage of multiple Valpo attack errors. Despite the scoring run and two more kills by Shelton in the set, Valpo took the second 25-19, leaving Indiana State facing a 2-0 deficit.
 
The Sycamores opened the third set on the front foot, starting with a kill by Mallory Keller and adding on with early kills by Shelton and Brown. Valpo cut the Sycamore lead to one, but an ace and a kill by Hamilton extended the lead back up to three at 14-11. The Beacons came back with four straight points of their own to take the lead, one they never relinquished. Kills by Keller and Hamilton in the late stages of the set were not enough for the Trees to climb back, as Valpo clinched the win by taking the third set 25-18.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Indiana State had the advantage in blocks for the ninth straight match, though the Sycamores' five blocks snapped a streak of eight straight matches with at least seven blocks.
• Nearly half of Indiana State's 29 kills in the match came in the third set, where the Trees had 12 kills on a .237 clip.

 
News and Notes

• Jamie Brown's seven kills were her most in a match since the conference opener against Bradley.
• Cadence Gilley has recorded seven or more digs in 10 of the last 11 matches for Indiana State.

 
 
Up Next
Indiana State's four-match road trip continues Friday at Southern Illinois, with first serve set for 7 p.m.
 
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