TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State recorded 10 aces Saturday afternoon while limiting Murray State a .120 hitting percentage, as the Sycamores defeated the Racers in three sets (25-23, 25-20, 25-19) in their final home match of the 2026 season.
Kira Holland led the Sycamore attack with 11 kills, while
Curry Kendall added 10.
Hadley Hardersen dished out 23 assists and registered 10 digs, leading the Trees in both categories.
Kendall and
Ella Scott tallied three aces apiece, while
Corinne Knapp finished with a match-high four aces to go alongside eight kills. It marked the second straight match that the Trees tallied double-digit service aces.
Set 1 | Indiana State 25, Murray State 23
Indiana State took advantage of early Murray State errors to gain a two-point lead, while three aces from Knapp in a four-point span widened the Sycamores' advantage to 11-7. Murray State rallied to cut the Sycamore lead down to a point, but three kills from Kendall down the stretch kept the Trees in front. Kills from Knapp and Scott, along with a block assist from Kendall and Scott, maintained the Sycamore lead, with a Racer service error clinching a 25-23 opening set win for the Trees.
Set 2 | Indiana State 25, Murray State 20
Five kills between Holland and Kendall within the first 10 points of the second set had the Sycamores up 7-3, while kills from Scott and Knapp maintained the Sycamores' significant lead. Aces from Knapp and Scott along with kills from Holland, Kendall and
Lily Mueller had the Sycamores ahead 23-14, but Murray State conjured up a late run. The Racers went on a five-point run to pull within four, but Holland slammed the door shut with a kill as the Sycamores claimed a 25-20 win in set two.
Set 3 | Indiana State 25, Murray State 19
Murray State jumped out to an early third set lead, looking to extend the match, with the Racers building a five-point advantage midway through the set. Kills from Kendall and Mueller, along with an ace from Scott, pulled the Trees back within a point midway through, and consecutive aces from Kendall put Indiana State ahead 19-18. Two late kills from Knapp put Indiana State on the brink of victory, and
Taylor Knuth finished off the sweep with a kill in her final home match to give the Trees a 25-19 win in the third set.
News and Notes
- Indiana State served up 10 aces in Saturday's win less than 24 hours after tallying 15 aces against Valpo in a Friday night match. It marked the first time in the 25-point rally scoring era that the Sycamores recorded back-to-back matches with double-digit aces.
- Murray State's .120 hitting percentage in Saturday's match was the lowest by a Sycamore opponent during the 2026 season, and the lowest by a conference opponent against the Trees since Nov. 11, 2023 against Belmont (.117).
- Ella Scott's three aces in Saturday's match gave her 100 aces for her career.
- Macy Lengacher moved up to 11th in program history in career digs over the course of the weekend, with the senior libero now sitting on 1,019 career digs.
- Indiana State finished with an advantage in kills (41-32), assists (38-31), aces (10-1) and blocks (9-4) in Saturday's match.
- Saturday's win was the Sycamores' second sweep in the last four matches after not having one in conference play since October 21, 2024.
- Indiana State picked up its 10th win of the season Saturday, marking the Sycamores' first season with double-digit wins since 2021.
- Head coach Ted Kopacz became just the third Sycamore head coach to win double-digit matches in their first season at Indiana State.
- Saturday's sweep of Murray State was the Sycamores' third straight win over the Racers.
Up Next
Indiana State begins its final week of the regular season Tuesday night, as the Sycamores travel to Evansville for a 7 p.m. first serve.
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