TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Kira Holland recorded her seventh straight match with double-digit kills Friday night, but visiting Valparaiso defeated Indiana State in three sets (25-17, 25-18, 25-16) inside ISU Arena.
 
Holland finished with a match-high 13 kills and nine digs, while Jadyn Smith added seven kills for the Sycamores. Avery Hales dished out 31 assists, while Emma Kaelin and Karinna Gall both registered double-digit digs for the Trees.
 
Holland and Smith notched early kills for the Sycamores, but Valpo jumped out t a 6-3 lead. The Trees used a three-point swing, two of those points coming from Holland kills, to keep the deficit at three midway through the first set, but the visitors countered with a run of their own to take a 21-13 lead. Gall, Holland and Scott recorded kills late in the set, but Valparaiso went on to win the opening frame 25-17.
 
Valparaiso took an early two-point lead in the second set, but kills by Holland and Gall helped the Trees even the score at six-apiece. A 5-1 run saw the Beacons take an 11-7 lead, one they wouldn't relinquish. Holland, Scott and Storm Suhre tacked on kills to get the Sycamores within 17-13 later on, and back-to-back blocks for the Trees made it a three-point deficit at 18-15. Valpo used a late run to take the second set 25-18, taking a 2-0 lead in the process.
 
Back-to-back kills from Smith gave Indiana State a 6-3 lead in the third set, and the Sycamores remained in front in the opening stages of the set thanks to kills from Suhre and Holland. Valpo took control midway through, though, using a 14-2 run to break open a close set and go in front 22-13. Kills for Holland and Kaelin weren't enough to keep the Trees alive, as the Beacons closed out the match by taking the third set 25-16.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Avery Hales' 31 assists were her most in a three-set match this season and the third 30-assist match of her career.
• Freshmen accounted for 72 percent of Indiana State's kills in Friday's match.
• Karinna Gall recorded double-digit digs despite playing just two sets in Friday's match.
• Indiana State's 52 digs were the most by the Sycamores since the opening weekend of conference play.

 
News and Notes

• Kira Holland has recorded double-digit kills in each of the last seven matches, a streak that dates back to the opening weekend of conference play.
• Friday's match was the second time this season that Indiana State had an over-capacity crowd in attendance at ISU Arena.
• Friday's match was Mental Health Awareness night. Both Indiana State and Valparaiso wore green ribbons and green shirts with the message 'Mental Health Matters' in warmups, with both coaching staffs also wearing the shirts for the match.

 
Up Next
Indiana State closes its homestand Saturday at 5 p.m. against UIC. Saturday's match has been designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Night.
 
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