KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Kaitlyn Hamiton recorded a season-high 10 kills Friday afternoon, but Indiana State fell in three sets to North Dakota (25-23, 25-18, 25-21) in its first match of the Western Michigan Tournament inside University Arena.
 
Hamilton hit a team-leading .333 in the match, while Karinna Gall had 12 kills and 11 digs for her first double-double of the season. Emma Kaelin and Jazzlyn Ford had 14 assists each, while Melina Tedrow notched a match-high 20 digs.
 
Indiana State got off to a good start, as Gall and Mallory Keller combined for four kills in the early stages of the opening set to put the Sycamores in front, 10-7. The Trees led by as many as six in the set after a kill by Gall made the score 13-7, forcing a UND timeout in the process. Indiana State had a 17-12 lead after back-to-back North Dakota errors, but the Fighting Hawks rallied late in the set. UND closed on an 8-1 run to claim a come-from-behind 25-23 first-set win.
 
The Sycamores and Fighting Hawks traded points scoring runs early in the second set until a 5-0 run put UND ahead, 11-7. Indiana State cut its deficit to 13-11 following a Hamilton kill and a UND error, but a 7-2 Fighting Hawk scoring run followed to put the set out of reach. Despite scoring three of the final four points in the set, Indiana State found itself facing a 2-0 deficit after falling 25-18 in the second frame.
 
Hamilton had a trio of early kills in the third set to give the Sycamores some momentum, as Indiana State took an early 8-4 lead. UND used a run midway through the set to even the score at 14-all and even took a two-point lead before kills by Ford and Jamie Brown knotted the set at 17-17. Indiana State took a late 21-20 lead on a Taylor Shelton service ace, but UND rattled off five straight points to win the set and the match.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Indiana State's 65 digs were a season high and the program's most in a three-set match since a 65-dig performance against Drake on March 14, 2021.
• Karinna Gall (12), Kaitlyn Hamiton (10) and Jamie Brown (four) all had season-highs in kills, with all three either tying or setting season-highs in digs.

 
News and Notes

• Following a 20-dig performance, Melina Tedrow sits 78 digs shy of the school record, currently held by Kristy Cox.
• Mallory Keller needs 10 kills to reach 500 for her Sycamore career.

 
Up Next
Indiana State closes play in Kalamazoo Saturday with matches against Wright State at noon and Western Michigan at 6 p.m.
 
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