CINCINNATI – Karinna Gall led a balanced Indiana State attack with 18 kills and 15 digs Saturday afternoon, as the Sycamores defeated Alabama State in four sets (25-19, 20-25,25-13,25-19) inside Fifth Third Arena.
 
Kaitlyn Hamilton tallied 15 kills while nearly hitting .500 for the Blue and White, while Mallory Keller added 12 kills for the Sycamores, who hit .328 as a team. Hannah Baudin had 15 assists, while Macy Lengacher registered 16 digs.
 
Indiana State jumped out to a quick start, as the Trees hit .481 in the opening set. Gall and Keller had the hot hands early with two kills apiece in the opening stages, as the Trees led 7-4 in the early going. A six-point Sycamore run with Gall on serve pushed Indiana State's lead to 18-10, with Gall adding a pair of aces during the run. Late kills by Hamilton and Keller helped the Trees take the first set 25-19.
 
The Sycamores continued to keep their foot on the gas pedal, as Gall, Baudin and Storm Suhre notched kills early on in the second set. Hamilton and Keller added kills midway through, along with a block assist by Suhre and Hamilton, as the Trees took a 15-13 lead. A kill by Hamilton made it 19-15 Indiana State, but Alabama State took 10 of the last 11 points to take the second set 25-20.
 
Indiana State quickly rebounded in the third, as four quick kills by Gall put the Trees ahead 7-2. Ella Scott added three kills in a four-point swing to make it 10-4, and the Sycamores kept things rolling from there. Emma Kaelin served up a ppair of aces, while Gall and Hamilton added on kills to make it a 20-9 Indiana State advantage. A tip-drill kill by Gall gave the Trees a 25-13 third-set win and put the Sycamores on the brink of their first victory.
 
Similar to the third set, the Sycamores got off to a roaring start by taking the first six points, which included a pair of service aces by Baudin. Alabama State made a charge of their own and tied things up midway through, but a kill by Keller started a five-point Sycamore run and the Trees never looked back. A service ace by Lengacher put the Trees up 22-15, and Scott closed out the Sycamores' first win of the season with back-to-back kills.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Kaitlyn Hamilton led the Sycamores with a .481 hitting percentage on 27 attempts, finishing with 15 kills compared to just two errors.
• Karinna Gall and Kaitlyn Hamilton became the first Sycamore duo with 15 or more kills in a match since Hamilton and Mallory Keller accomplished the feat against Campbell on Sept. 9, 2022.
• Hannah Baudin and Emma Kaelin both had three aces in the match, giving the Trees multiple players with three or more aces for the first time since Nov. 20, 2021.
• Indiana State finished the match with 12 service aces, with four different Sycamores recording multiple aces.
• The Sycamores finished the match with a .328 hitting percentage, recording 59 kills compared to just 16 errors.

 
News and Notes

• Indiana State's .328 hitting percentage for the match was the Sycamores' best in a match under head coach Ashlee Pritchard.
• Indiana State's 12 service aces were the most under head coach Ashlee Pritchard and just the second time in the last two seasons the Trees recorded double-digit aces.
• Indiana State took just two matches to win its first match of the 2023 season. Last season, it took until the third weekend before Indiana State won its first match.
• The Sycamores went 1-1 against the two 2022 postseason teams they played this weekend.

 
Up Next
Indiana State closes its opening weekend of play Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. against Cincinnati.
 
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