LEXINGTON, Ky. – Facing an SEC opponent for the first time since 2018, Indiana State closed its non-conference schedule Saturday afternoon with a three-set loss to No. 14 Kentucky (25-16, 25-16, 25-15) inside Memorial Coliseum.
 
Storm Suhre and Mallory Keller led the way for the Sycamores with nine kills apiece, while Melina Tedrow had a team-leading 15 digs. Emma Kaelin recorded 12 assists, while Keller and Jamie Brown tallied three blocks each in the losing effort.
 
Indiana State held its own in the early stages, as a kill by Keller and a block assist by Brown and Karinna Gall gave the Sycamores an early advantage. Even after Kentucky went on a 5-0 run to take the lead, the Sycamores remained within striking distance. Three UK errors in a four-point span cut the ISU deficit to 9-8 before a 6-0 Wildcat run sent the teams to a media timeout with the Trees down by seven. Brown, Kaitlyn Hamilton and Suhre all had kills late, but Kentucky claimed the opening set 25-16.
 
Similar to the first set, the Sycamores got off to a strong start with Keller and Brown combining on an early block. The Trees took a 7-6 lead following a block assist by Keller and Gall, but Kentucky came back with five straight points to pull ahead. Kills by Keller and Hamilton made it a 13-12 deficit midway through the set but the Wildcats scored five of the next seven points to increase their lead back to five. Suhre and Gall combined for three kills in a five-point span in the closing stages, but UK won the last five points to take the second set 25-16.
 
The Sycamores took an early 3-2 lead in the third set following kills by Keller and Suhre, but Kentucky seized momentum with an 8-1 run and never looked back. A kill by Keller cut the Sycamore deficit to four at 11-7, but that was the closest Indiana State got for the remainder of the set as Kentucky rattled off four straight points. A pair of kills by Suhre followed by a kill by Keller late in the set was not enough for the Trees, as the 14th-ranked Wildcats closed out the sweep with a 25-15 third-set win.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Storm Suhre's nine kills were her most since the opening weekend of play, when she had 11 against Chicago State (Aug. 27).
• Jamie Brown has recorded three or more blocks in three straight matches.
• Mallory Keller and Storm Suhre combined for 21.5 of the Sycamores' 34 points in the match.

 
News and Notes

• Melina Tedrow sits 17 digs shy of Indiana State's school record after recording 15 Saturday.
• Kaitlyn Hamilton is currently 20 kills away from reaching 500 for her career.
• Saturday's match was Indiana State's second straight match against a 2021 NCAA Tournament team.

 
Up Next
Indiana State has a rare weekend off before beginning Missouri Valley Conference play at home against Bradley (Sept. 23, 6 p.m.) and Illinois State (Sept. 24, 5 p.m.).
 
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