VALPARAISO, Ind. – Saturday's in-state showdown between Indiana State and Valparaiso turned into a marathon inside the Athletics-Recreation Center, with the Sycamores coming from behind to prevail over the Beacons in five sets (25-22, 4-25, 23-25, 25-21, 15-13).
The win was the second in conference play for the Sycamores, both of which have been five-set road contests featuring a comeback from the Blue and White. Indiana State overcame dropping the second set by a lopsided 25-4 margin to snap its five-match losing streak.
Kira Holland led the Sycamores with 15 kills and 13 digs, notching her fifth straight double-double while tying for the most kills among players from either team.
Taylor Knuth added 10 kills, her most in a conference match, while
Hadley Hardersen dished out a career-high 37 assists.
Set 1 | Indiana State 25, Valparaiso 22
Indiana State jumped out to an early lead with
Ella Scott asserting herself at the net. Kills from Holland and Knuth kept the Trees in front, with Indiana State extending its lead to 12-9 following a
Corinne Knapp kill. Valpo rallied back to claim the lead at the media timeout, but the Sycamores countered with an 8-2 run to go back ahead, with
Lily Mueller tallying two kills and a block during the span. Valpo cut the Sycamore lead down to one, but Knuth capped off the set with a kill to give the Trees a 25-22 win in the opener.
Set 2 | Valparaiso 25, Indiana State 4
Kills from Mueller and Holland had the Sycamores ahead 3-2 early in the second set, but that was all the positive momentum Indiana State had in the frame. Valparaiso won 23 of the next 24 points to win the second in a 25-4 landslide.
Set 3 | Valparaiso 25, Indiana State 23
Knapp got things going with an early ace in the third, with Knuth and Scott putting down kills to give the Trees a 4-1 advantage. Indiana State remaind in front with kills from Mueller and Knapp, while Hardersen dropped in an ace to make it 10-7 in favor of the Trees. Knuth added another ace moments later for the Blue and White, as the visitors took a 15-11 lead at the media timeout, but Valpo came rallying back. The Beacons went on a 6-0 run to go in front, but Mueller came right back with a pair of kills and a block assist with Hardersen to level the set. Valparaiso ultimately prevailed by taking the last two points to win the third 25-23.
Set 4 | Indiana State 25, Valparaiso 21
Indiana State continued its trend of starting strong to begin sets, as Scott put down a pair of kills and Knapp tacked on an ace to make it 4-1. Valpo came back to tie the set, but the Sycamores reclaimed their lead thanks in part to errors from the home side midway through. An ace from Holland made it 12-7 in favor of the Trees, while Knapp and Scott teamed up for a block to extend the advantage to seven. Another ace from Knapp, along with a kill from Scott, kept the Trees ahead, but Valpo cut its deficit down to four with a late run. Knapp thwarted the Beacon rally with a pair of kills, and a Valpo service error sealed a 25-21 fourth set win for the Sycamores.
Set 5 | Indiana State 15, Valparaiso 13
Indiana State jumped out to a 4-0 lead to start set five, with a kill from Holland and another Knapp ace headlining the run. The Sycamores remained ahead with two kills from Holland and a block assists from Mueller and Holland, making it 8-4 in favor of the Trees midway through. Indiana State kept its advantage with kills from Holland and Hardersen, but Valpo rallied back with a five-point run to tie the set at 12. Scott and Knuth teamed up for a crucial block late in the set, with Scott later running the tip drill off the slide to clinch a 15-13 win for the Sycamores in the deciding set.
News and Notes
- Indiana State improved to 5-2 in five-set matches this season with Saturday's victory, with both of the Sycamores' conference wins coming in five sets.
- This season marked the first time that the Sycamores claimed multiple five-set wins in conference play since 2021.
- Indiana State snapped a five-match losing streak against Valparaiso, with the Sycamores' last win over the Beacons prior to Saturday coming on Oct. 30, 2021 in Terre Haute.
- Indiana State's last win at Valparaiso came on March 22, 2021.
- Taylor Knuth's 10 kills in Saturday's match were her most against an MVC foe and marked her second match of the season with double-digit kills.
- Hadley Hardersen dished out a career-high 37 assists in Saturday's win, surpassing the 30-assist threshold in a match for the first time in her collegiate career.
- Corinne Knapp continued her stellar season from the service line with four aces in Saturday's match, with the Sycamore sophomore ranking second in the MVC in aces per set and fifth in the conference with 26 total aces.
- Kira Holland passed Julie Kovacs (1987-90, 1,014 kills) to move into sole possession of 10th place in program history in career kills. Holland closed Saturday's match with 1,029 career kills, with the Sycamore senior outside hitter just 10 kills shy of ninth place on the all-time list (Kristin Widmar, 2001-04, 1,039 kills).
- Indiana State won Saturday's match despite hitting just .117 overall, a mark over 100 points less that Valparaiso (.223).
- The Sycamores shut down Valparaiso's attack in their three sets won, with the Beacons hitting .111 (10-6-36) in the first set, .103 (10-7-29) in the fourth set and .045 (7-6-22) in the fifth set.
- Indiana State's four points scored in set two were the fewest in a set during a match the Sycamores won during the rally scoring era.
Up Next
Indiana State begins a four-match homestand Tuesday night with its Blackout Cancer match against Evansville. First serve in the in-state showdown is slated for 6 p.m.
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