TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Kira Holland led all players with 16 kills, and Karinna Gall and Storm Suhre added nine each Saturday evening, leading host Indiana State past UIC in four sets (25-23, 15-25, 25-20, 25-21) inside ISU Arena.
 
Gall added a team-high 12 digs for the Sycamores, while Macy Lengacher and Avery Hales had 11 digs each. Hales also dished out 37 assists for her first career double-double, while Suhre led all players with seven blocks.
 
UIC jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the opening set, but Indiana State clawed its way back. Kills by Jadyn Smith and Suhre, along with a pair of Sycamore blocks, cut the deficit to 8-7, and Indiana State later tied things up following a pair of UIC errors. Emma Kaelin and Holland added kills midway through the set, and a late four-point swing capped with a Holland service ace gave Indiana State a 20-17 lead. UIC battled back to tie things up, but Ella Scott closed the set with a block solo and an ace to give the Sycamores a 25-23 win in the first.
 
Indiana State took a 2-1 lead in the second set following a kill from Holland and a UIC attack error, but a 16-2 run for the Flames gave the visitors total control of the set. Kills from Holland, Suhre and Gall helped the Sycamores go on a 6-2 run late in the set, but UIC evened the match by taking the second 25-15.
 
The visitors carried their momentum to the early stages of the third set, taking a 7-3 lead in the process. Unlike the second set, Indiana State had a response. The Sycamores went on an 8-0 run, featuring kills from Holland, Suhre and Smith, along with two blocks and an ace from Hales, to take a four-point lead. Kills from Gall and Scott midway through helped the Sycamores maintain their four-point advantage, and back-to-back Holland kills pushed the Trees' lead up to six at 20-14. UIC got within four, but Gall closed out the set with a pair of late kills as Indiana State took the third 25-20 to go back in front in the match.
 
Similar to the first three sets, UIC started out strong and took an 8-4 lead over the Sycamores in the fourth. The Flames pushed their lead up to 12-6, but Indiana State came roaring back. Two kills from Holland, along with a pair of blocks, spearheaded an 8-1 Sycamore run that saw the home side pull in front by a point. Smith tacked on back-to-back kills to make it 16-14 Indiana State, and the Sycamores never trailed from there on. Holland and Suhre added kills late in the set, and Gall clinched the Trees' first conference win of the season with a kill to give Indiana State the fourth set 25-21.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Avery Hales recorded her first career double-double with 37 assists and 11 digs. The 11 digs were a career-high for Hales.
• Storm Suhre's nine kills and seven blocks were both season-best numbers, while her .471 hitting percentage was her best in a conference match this season.
• Indiana State's 13 blocks were a season-best, with six different Sycamores recording at least one block in Saturday's match.
• Indiana State's 59 digs were the most by the Sycamores in a conference match this season.

 
News and Notes

• Kira Holland has recorded double-digit kills in each of the last eight matches, a streak that dates back to the opening weekend of conference play.
• Saturday's win snapped Indiana State's 16-match losing streak that dated back to September 1. It also snapped a 21-match MVC losing streak that dated back to October 7, 2022.
• Saturday's match was Indiana State's first win over UIC since the 1984 season and first-ever win over the Flames in Terre Haute. The Sycamores improved to 3-6 in the all-time series.
• Indiana State managed to win in four sets despite a shorthanded roster. The Sycamores were without Hannah Baudin and Kaitlyn Hamilton for both matches this weekend due to undisclosed injuries.

 
Up Next
Indiana State heads to central Illinois for a two-match road trip, starting Friday night at Bradley. The Sycamores will also face Illinois State on October 20.
 
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