INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana State had five different players notch seven or more kills Wednesday night, but Indiana State fell two points short against IU-Indianapolis in an agonizing five-set match (20-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-18, 15-13).
 
Jadyn Smith led the Sycamores with 11 kills, while Ella Scott added nine kills, five blocks and two aces. Hannah Baudin had eight kills, while Emma Kaelin and Curry Kendall tallied seven kills apiece. Emily Weber finished with 34 assists and a season-high five blocks, while Anna Ptacin led all players with six blocks. Macy Lengacher recorded a match-high 19 digs.
 
Indiana State trailed for the early stages of the first set before consecutive kills from Smith, Kaelin and Baudin tied the score at nine-all. The home side recovered to take a three-point lead, but Indiana State responded with a seven-point run and never trailed for the remainder of the set. Kills from Kaelin, Weber and Baudin, paired with multiple errors and an ace from Weber, gave the Trees momentum with a 20-16 lead, and Lengacher later added an ace to extend the Sycamores' lead to five. Kaelin finished off the first set with a kill, as the Trees took the opening frame 25-20.
 
Kills from Baudin and Scott gave the Sycamores a good start to set two, and the Trees stood tall for a pair of blocks to take a 6-5 lead. Scott and Smith tacked on kills, with the former also dropping in an ace, as Indiana State upped its advantage to 13-8. The Jaguars went on an extended scoring run to tie the set at 16, but Indiana State countered with a run of its own. Smith put down a kill, while Weber and Ptacin combined on a pair of blocks as Indiana State went ahead 21-16. IU-Indianapolis got within a point, but three straight kills from Baudin closed out a 25-21 win for the Sycamores in the second set, giving the Trees a 2-0 lead.
 
Indiana State took an early 5-3 lead in the third set, with Weber and Kaelin notching kills and Emmy Sher adding a service ace. Kills from Scott and Weber kept the momentum going for the Sycamores, but IU-Indianapolis responded with a 6-1 run to go ahead 13-8 and never trailed in the set from that point on. Sher added her second ace of the set midway through, but the Jaguars followed with another 6-1 run to put the Trees in a 21-13 hole. Late kills from Smith and Kaelin, along with a block assist from Ptacin and Smith, gave the Trees late life, but the home side extended the match by taking the third set 25-19.
 
Smith opened set four with a kill, but eight straight points for the home side followed and Indiana State never fully recovered in the set. Three more kills from Smith in a six-point span pulled the Sycamores within four at 11-7, and Scott added a pair of kills to keep the deficit at that margin. Indiana State got within three midway through on a kill by Smith to make it 18-15, but that was the closest the Sycamores got for the remainder of the set. Late kils from Kendall and Kaelin weren't enough, as IU-Indianapolis took the fourth set 25-18 to force a deciding set.
 
Indiana State started out strong in the fifth set, courtesy of kills from Scott and Kendall. Kendall and Smith added kills to make it 7-5 Sycamores, while consecutive blocks for the Trees extended the lead out to three at 9-6. The Jaguars got back within a point, before back-to-back kills from Kendall put Indiana State ahead 13-10 and on the brink of a win. Indiana State's momentum fell short though, as the home side won the last five points to take the fifth set 15-13 and clinch the match.
 
News and Notes

• Macy Lengacher tied her season high of 19 digs in Wednesday's match.
• Indiana State's 13 blocks were a season high, while the Sycamores recorded more than 2.50 blocks per set for the second time in the last three matches.
• Indiana State had three players with five or more blocks (Anna Ptacin – six, Ella Scott – five, Emily Weber – five) for the first time since an October 2023 win over UIC.
• Jadyn Smith recorded double-digit kills for the third time in the last five matches, and is averaging 2.31 kills per set in 2024 compared to just 1.21 kills per set in 2023.
• Indiana State won the opening set for the fourth straight match, marking the first time since the 2021 season that the Sycamores accomplished the feat.
• Wednesday's match was the second five-setter for the Sycamores this season, with Indiana State falling to 1-1 in five-set matches this season.

 
Up Next
Indiana State takes part in the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational, starting with a Friday doubleheader against St. Francis (Pa.) (11 a.m.) and Eastern Michigan (4:30 p.m.).
 
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