TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State sent its senior class out in style in their final weekend homestand, defeating Belmont in three sets (25-22, 25-15, 25-19) Saturday night inside ISU Arena.
Kira Holland led all players in the win with 14 kills and also added nine digs.
Ella Scott had six kills and six blocks, while
Avery Hales had 28 assists and 11 digs.
Cadence Gilley led the Sycamores with 12 digs, while
Macy Lengacher added nine digs and five aces.
Indiana State's scoring started on a kill from Gall, and Lengacher followed with three consecutive service aces to put the Sycamores ahead 4-2. Belmont went on a scoring run to pull ahead 10-6, but a pair of kills from Holland kept the Trees right on pace with the Bruins. Kills from Holland and Gall, aloing with a pair of Belmont errors, tied the set at 13-all, and things remained tied following kills from seniors
Kaitlyn Hamilton and
Jamie Brown. Belmont went back in front 21-18, but a resilient Sycamore rally followed. Kills from
Storm Suhre and Scott came as part of a four-point swing which saw the Sycamores take a 22-21 lead, and consecutive kills from Hales and Scott extended that lead to 24-22. A Bruin attack error saw the homestanding Sycamores take the opening frame 25-22.
Kills from Hamilton and Gall, along with a Lengacher service ace, helped the Sycamores jump out to another good start in the second set. Indiana State took advantage of multiple Belmont errors, and paired with kills from Hales and Holland, took a 10-6 lead. A block assist from Hamilton and Suhre extended the lead to 13-7, and the Sycamores tacked on to their advantage with two kills apiece from Gall and Holland. A slew of Belmont errors prompted a six-point Sycamore run, growing the lead to 22-13, and kills from Scott and Gall had the Trees in full control. Indiana State went on to close out the second set 25-15, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
Belmont took an early two-point lead in the third set, but Indiana State clawed its way back thanks to kills from Holland and Hales. Holland put the Trees in front with an ace and Gall added on to the advantage with a kill as part of a five-point run. Kills from Suhre and Hales made it 15-11 in favor of the home side, and Gall added another ace for the Sycamores just a few points later. Two more kills from Scott made it 22-18, and kills from Gall, Holland and Hamilton closed out a 25-19 third set win to clinch Indiana State's second sweep of the weekend.
Inside the Numbers
- Indiana State had eight service aces, marking the second straight match where the Sycamores averaged more than two aces per set. Macy Lengacher had five of those eight aces, including three straight early in the first set.
- 38 of Indiana State's 41 kills in Saturday's match came from either seniors or freshmen.
- Cadence Gilley's 12-dig outing marked the second straight match where she averaged four digs per set. Gilley has four double-digit dig performances in the last five matches, which coincides with her switch to libero.
- Belmont's .117 hitting percentage was the lowest by a Sycamore opponent this season, and marked the second straight match that Indiana State held an opponent to a hitting percentage below .200.
News and Notes
- Indiana State recognized its senior class of Karinna Gall, Asia Povlin, Mallory Keller, Kaitlyn Hamilton and Jamie Brown both before and after the match. Every senior who was active for the match was in the Sycamores' starting lineup.
- After not sweeping a match in its first 51 under head coach Ashlee Pritchard, Indiana State now has back-to-back three-set wins.
- Kira Holland surpassed 300 kills for the season with Saturday's 14-kill effort giving her 306 for the season. She became the first Sycamore since Laura Gross in 2018 with 300 kills in a season.
- Indiana State surpassed its 2022 conference win total with Saturday's win, and won back-to-back matches for the first time since November 2021.
Up Next
Indiana State closes its 2023 season Wednesday evening at home against in-state foe Evansville. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
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