NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Emma Kaelin tallied a career-high eight kills and Avery Hales dished out a season-best 18 assists Friday night, but visiting Indiana State fell to Belmont in three sets (25-17, 25-15, 25-23) in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams.
 
Hales also added six digs and five kills, while Kira Holland had six kills and 13 digs. Storm Suhre added five kills and three blocks in her first match in nearly two weeks.
 
Indiana State opened the match with kills from Suhre and Karinna Gall, but Belmont went on an early 8-2 run and never trailed for the remainder of the opening set. Kills by Suhre and Kaitlyn Hamilton, coupled with multiple Belmont errors, allowed the Sycamores to get within 14-10, but a four-point Belmont scoring run followed to break open the set. Suhre was involved in a pair of block assists late, but the homestanding Bruins went on to win the first set 25-17.
 
Indiana State's freshmen provided a spark to begin the second set, with Scott, Hales and Holland combining for five kills within the Sycamores' first 10 points. The Sycamores were neck-and-neck with the Bruins until a 9-2 scoring run saw Belmont jump in front 19-12. Back-to-back kills from KAelin gave Indiana State late life, but a 25-15 second set in favor of Belmont saw the Sycamores facing an 0-2 hole.
 
The third set got off to a better start for the Blue and White, as back-to-back kills from Hales gave the Sycamores a 6-5 lead. The Trees extended that lead to 13-9 following kills by Suhre and Kaelin, along with a block assist by Gall and Suhre. Belmont got within a point of Indiana State, but kills from Scott and Kaelin, along with a Scott service ace, saw the Sycamore advantage extended to 21-17. Belmont rallied back to score eight of the last 10 points, though, clinching the match with a 25-23 third set win.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Emma Kaelin's eight kills were a career-best, with six of those coming in the third set. Kaelin had a .500 hitting percentage in the third, with six kills and no errors on 12 attempts.
• 10 of Avery Hales' season-best 18 assists came in the third set.
• Indiana State's freshman class accounted for 48 percent of the kills (15 out of 31), 75 percent of the assists (21 out of 28) and 57 percent of the digs (33 out of 58) that the Sycamores had Friday, along with two of the team's three aces.

 
News and Notes

• Friday's match was the first of four straight on the road for Indiana State. The Sycamores continue their road trip with matches against Murray State, Missouri State and Southern Illinois.
• After missing last week's match against IUPUI, Storm Suhre returned to the starting lineup Friday and finished with five kills, three blocks and a .400 hitting percentage.
• Indiana State finished with more digs than Belmont in Friday's match (58-54).

 
Up Next
Indiana State plays its second of four consecutive road matches Saturday evening at Murray State, with first serve set for 6 p.m.
 
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