FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Emma Kaelin and Hannah Baudin registered matches with double-digit kills Friday, while Kaelin and Emily Weber both recorded double-doubles for Indiana State, but the Sycamores were defeated in four sets by both St. Francis (Pa.) (22-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-21) and Eastern Michigan (25-22, 17-25, 25-18, 25-15) on the opening day of the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational.
 
Kaelin tallied a career-high 18 kills and 13 digs against Eastern Michigan, while also putting forth an 11-kill performance against St. Francis (Pa.). Baudin had 10 kills against Eastern Michigan, while Weber had 31 assists and a season-best 12 digs against EMU. Macy Lengacher recorded 15 digs in both ends of the Friday twinbill.
 
Match One: St. Francis (Pa.) 3, Indiana State 1
Indiana State got off to a slow start, before two kills from Ella Scott got the Trees headed in the right direction. The Red Flash led 14-11 midway through the first set, but kills from Baudin, Scott and Kaelin gave the Sycamores a spark to tie the set at 16-all. Kills from Kaelin and Weber, along with a Kaelin ace and a block from Weber and Scott, gave the Trees a late four-point lead, one they wouldn't relinquish. Jadyn Smith closed out the first set with a kill, as the Sycamores took the opening frame 25-22.
 
The Sycamores and Red Flash traded early runs, before a 9-2 run gave SFU a 14-8 lead. Kills from Kaelin, Smith and Curry Kendall cut into Indiana State's deficit, and consecutive Red Flash errors pulled the Trees within a pair at 19-17. Kaelin tacked on a trio of late kills, but St. Francis (Pa.) held on to take the second set 25-21 and even the match.
 
Kills from Kaelin and Scott, along with an Emmy Sher service ace, gave the Sycamores a strong start to set three, with Scott and Smith adding kills to make it 8-5 in favor of the Blue and White. Weber served up back-to-back aces to make it a five-point lead for the Trees, but the Red Flash responded with eight straight points and never trailed from that point on. Baudin put down a pair of kills, with Scott and Kaelin adding on as Indiana State got within two late in the set. The Red Flash took the last four points to win the third set 25-20.
 
Scott and Weber tallied early fourth-set kills, with the former also adding a block solo as Indiana State took a 5-2 lead. A block solo from Smith and an ace from Weber kept the Trees in front nearing the midway point, and Kaelin and Baudin added to the lead with kills to make it 12-8. St. Francis (Pa.) took advantage of Indiana State attack errors to retake the lead, though and never looked back. Late kills from Kaelin and Baudin weren't enough to mount a comeback, as the Red Flash took the fourth set 25-21 to win the match.
 
Match Two: Eastern Michigan 3, Indiana State 1
Indiana State and Eastern Michigan were neck-and-neck in the early stages of set one, with neither team holding more than a two-point lead through the first 20 points. Three consecutive kills from Anna Ptacin put the Trees ahead 11-9, but EMU responded with a seven-point run to take command of the set. Kaelin put down three straight kills to pull the Trees within two at 18-16, and three more kills from Baudin kept the Trees within range. Eastern Michigan held on, though, taking the first set 25-22.
 
The Sycamores recovered quickly to start set two, with Kaelin leading the charge with a trio of early kills. Kills from Smith and Weber, along with a Cadence Gilley service ace, put the Sycamores ahead 10-6, with the Trees extending their lead following kills from Kaelin and Weber. Kaelin later added an ace to make it 17-9, while Weber and Smith tacked on kills as Indiana State maintained its sizeable lead in the set. Kills from Kaelin and Baudin, along with a pair of Eastern Michigan errors, gave Indiana State a 25-17 second set win to level the match.
 
Indiana State got out to a strong start in set three, as two kills from Kaelin along with an ace from Lengacher helped the Sycamores jump out to an 8-1 lead. Things went downhill for the Trees from there, though, as Eastern Michigan seized control of the set with a 17-4 run. Despite a pair of late kills from Smith, the Sycamores dropped set three 25-18.
 
The Trees started set four slow and never recovered, as EMU opened on a 6-0 run to take full control. Scott tried to pull the Sycamores closer with a pair of kills, but Eastern Michigan upped its lead to double-digits with another lengthy run, taking full advantage of Indiana State errors. Kills from Scott and Baudin gave the Sycamores late life, but Eastern Michigan closed out the match by taking the fourth set 25-15.
 
News and Notes

• Indiana State's streak of winning the opening set was snapped at five matches. The Sycamores won the first set of all three matches last week, along with their midweek match at IU-Indianapolis and Friday's opening match.
• Emily Weber became the second Sycamore to record a double-double this season, while Emma Kaelin notcher her fourth double-double of the campaign.
• Emma Kaelin's 18 kills against Eastern Michigan were the most by a Sycamore in a match this season and also represented a career-high. Kaelin has nine matches with 10 or more kills this season.
• Indiana State registered double-digit blocks for the second time this season with 13 against St. Francis (Pa.).
• Despite losing to Eastern Michigan, Indiana State had more kills than the Eagles (48-47).
• Ella Scott tallied five blocks against both St. Francis (Pa.) and Eastern Michigan, and has recorded five or more blocks in five of the last seven matches.
• Macy Lengacher has registered double-digit digs in six straight matches, with 15 or more digs in four of those matches.

 
Up Next
Indiana State faces tournament host Purdue Fort Wayne Saturday at 11 a.m. in the Sycamores' non-conference finale.
 
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