TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Lily Mueller tallied the most blocks in a match by an Indiana State player in nearly five seasons Friday night, but visiting Milwaukee outlasted the Sycamores in four sets (19-25, 28-26, 28-26, 25-23) inside ISU Arena.
Mueller finished with 12 total blocks (two solo, 10 assist) in the contest while also adding five kills on an error-free 11 attempts.
Curry Kendall and
Hadley Hardersen paced the Sycamore attack with 13 kills apiece, with Hardersen also finishing two digs shy of a triple-double.
Indiana State hit .207 as a team and had at least 12 kills in three of the four sets played, but Milwaukee hit over .300 in each of the last three sets to escape Terre Haute with its second straight win over the Sycamores.
Set 1 | Indiana State 25, Milwaukee 19
Mueller's blocking set the tone early, with Indiana State jumping out to an early four-point cushion. Milwaukee pulled within a pair midway through before Hardersen and Mueller combined for four kills to extend Indiana State's lead out to 20-15.
Ella Scott finished off the opening frame with a kill as the Trees claimed the first by a 25-19 margin.
Set 2 | Milwaukee 28, Indiana State 26
The Sycamores weathered an early Panther run with kills from Hardersen and Scott, then took advantage of Milwaukee service errors to go in front. Kills from Kendall, Hardersen and
Kira Holland had Indiana State ahead by a pair at the media timeout, with Scott dropping in an ace to keep the Trees in front. Milwaukee rallied late to even the score, and had the Trees on the brink before kills from Kendall and
Avery Hales pulled Indiana State even. Two late kills from the visitors evened the match at one set apiece.
Set 3 | Milwaukee 28, Indiana State 26
Indiana State battled back from an early deficit to pull within a pair following a trio of kills from Hardersen. Kendall added two kills near the midway point to get the Trees within one, but a Milwaukee run saw Indiana State facing a 21-17 deficit. Indiana State found magic on Scott's serve, with a pair of blocks and an ace to give the Trees set point, but Milwaukee battled back to claim the third by a 28-26 scoreline, identical to the second set.
Set 4 | Milwaukee 27, Indiana State 26
Milwaukee had full control early in the fourth set before a kill from Kendall and a block solo from Mueller gave the home side momentum. Indiana State pulled within a point following kills from Scott and
Corinne Knapp, but Milwaukee quickly rebuilt a three-point advantage courtesy of service errors. The Trees rallied back from their deficit with a kill from Knapp and a block assist from Hardersen and Mueller, but were unable to pull ahead as Milwaukee finished off the fourth set and the match in nailbiting fashion, 25-23.
News and Notes
- Lily Mueller's 12 total blocks in Friday's match were the most by an Indiana State athlete since Oct. 30, 2021 (Kylie Newby, 12). Mueller's 12 blocks are also tied for second in a single match in program history.
- Hadley Hardersen finished two digs shy of a triple-double, a feat that only she has accomplished in the last 15 seasons among Indiana State athletes.
- Indiana State's 14.5 total blocks were a season high and the most for the Sycamores in a match since Oct. 30, 2021 against Valparaiso (19).
- Milwaukee's 19 service errors were the most by an Indiana State opponent since IU Indy had 20 service errors on Sept. 18, 2024.
- Corinne Knapp's seven kills were her most in a match since Oct. 24, 2025 at Drake.
- Each of the three sets Indiana State lost in Friday's match were decided by two points, with two of those three sets going past the 25-point mark.
Up Next
Indiana State hits the road for the final time during non-conference play, as the Trees head north for the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational Sept. 18-19. The Sycamores will face Stonehill and Columbia on Sept. 18 before closing out the weekend with Purdue Fort Wayne on Sept. 19.
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