TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State came within one point of forcing a fifth set Friday night, but visiting Belmont outlasted the Sycamores in four sets (25-18, 25-18, 18-25, 26-24) inside Hulman Center.
 
Curry Kendall paced the Sycamores with 11 kills and career highs of 19 digs and four blocks, while Ella Scott and Kira Holland tallied nine kills each. Scott led all players with seven blocks, while Emily Weber and Avery Hales combined to dish out 36 assists. Chloe Gilley also registered a career-best 18 digs for the Blue and White.
 
Kendall and Lily Mueller opened the first set with two early kills each, with Emma Kaelin adding another to keep pace with the Bruins. Belmont went on a seven-point run to build a comfortable lead, but Kaelin and Scott recorded kills, with the former also adding an ace to pull the Sycamores closer. Webber and Holland put down kulls midway through, but the visitors maintained control of their lead. Scott and Kaelin combined on a late block, but Belmont closed the set with a 6-2 run to take the opening frame 25-18.
 
Belmont built an early second set set lead, but the Sycamores worked their way back thanks to errors from the Bruins. Three straight kills from Holland gave Indiana State the lead, and a block assist from Scott and Weber made it 8-6 Trees. Belmont rallied back to take the lead, but Kendall registered two kills and a block solo to keep the Sycamores on track. Scott added a pair of kills to keep the Trees within a point late at 17-16 but another scoring run for the Bruins was too much for the Sycamores to overcome. Despite two late kills from Jadyn Smith, Belmont closed the set on an 8-2 run to take the second stanza 25-18.
 
Contrary to the first two sets, Indiana State was the aggressor to begin the third, with kills from Smith, Holland, Kendall and Scott putting the Trees ahead 4-1 early. Weber, Scott and Mueller tacked on kills to keep the Sycamores in front by four, with Smith and Kendall putting down kills to add to the advantage. Belmont cut what was a six-point Sycamore lead down to14-12, but two more kills from Kendall and another from Holland quickly added on to the Trees' tally. Scott put down a pair of kills towards the end of the set, and Kendall added two more as Indiana State looked to extend the match. Kills from Hales and Mueller closed out set three, as the Trees forced a fourth set by taking the third by a 25-18 margin.
 
Similar to set three, Indiana State jumped out to a strong start in the fourth with a block assist from Mueller and Smith and an ace from Hales. Belmont responded with a run of its own to take the lead before Holland knotted the score at 6-6 with a kill. Kills from Scott and Smith gave the Sycamores the lead once again, and Kendall tacked on another kill to make it 13-11. Belmont battled back to take a one-point lead, but the Sycamores had another response. Kills from Scott and Smith, along with a service ace from Cadence Gilley, kept tied the score at 20-all, and back-to-back block solos from Kendall put the Sycamores ahead. Smith and Mueller teamed up for a block solo to put the Sycamores on the verge of forcing a deciding set, but Belmont stomed back to end the match. The Bruins closed on a 6-0 run, fending off four set points to clinch the fourth set 26-24 and win the match.
 
News and Notes

• Curry Kendall's 19 digs and four blocks were both career highs, and her three block solos were the most by a Sycamore in a match this season.
• Jadyn Smith averaged two blocks per set and had six total blocks for the match, her most this season.
• Chloe Gilley's 18 digs were her most in a match this season and her first match with double-digit digs since early October.
• Indiana State had a trio of players – Curry Kendall, Chloe Gilley and Macy Lengacher – register 15 or more digs.
• Underclassmen accounted for 43 of Indiana State's 48 kills and 71 of the Syacmores' 75 digs in Friday's match.

 
Up Next
Indiana State plays its final home match of the season Saturday at 5 p.m. against Murray State. The Sycamores will recognize their senior class of Hannah Baudin and Emma Kaelin prior to the match.
 
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