SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Indiana State volleyball split the first two matches of the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational, hosted by Missouri State. Indiana State defeated Northwestern State 3-2 in the opener before falling to Little Rock 3-2.
Match 1 | Indiana State 3, Northwestern State 2
(26-24, 23-25, 22-25, 25-9, 25-5)
Three Sycamores finished with 15+ kills each, led by
Kira Holland with a double-double of 17 kills and 16 digs.
Ava Robart followed by 16 kills, six digs, and three aces.
Curry Kendall was the third with 15 kills, adding in three blocks.
Other contributions came from
Ella Scott with nine kills, four digs, three aces and two blocks;
Avery Hales with 29 assists and 11 digs;
Hadley Hardersen with 24 assists and nine digs; and
Emmy Sher with 19 digs.
Set 1 | Indiana State 26, Northwestern State 24
Northwestern State took a small early lead 6-2, but Indiana State battled and kept the rest of the set tight the rest of the set. The Demons held a 14-9 lead before Indiana State went on a 5-0 run at the service hand of
Ava Robart. The set was tied at 15 each and saw four more ties before Indiana State eventually took the set.
Set 2 | Northwestern State 25, Indiana State 23
The second set remained a tight battle, as neither team held more than a two-point lead until Northwestern State went up 10-7. The Demons controlled the scoreboard for most of the set after a 13-13 tie. Despite leading 23-21 from back-to-back kills by
Kira Holland, two aces and an error gave Northwestern State the set.
Set 3 | Indiana State 25, Northwestern State 22
Once again, the Sycamores and Demons fought neck-and-neck for the whole third set. Through the first half of the set, both teams would record two-to-three points before the other would counter with their own. A kill and Ace by
Ella Scott was followed by a kill from Holland to give Indiana State a 20-17 lead, but it would be three kills, an error, and a block that would push the Demons ahead for the set victory.
Set 4 | Indiana State 25, Northwestern State 9
The set where Indiana State came alive. The Sycamores opened 7-1 and grew the lead all the way to 15-4 at the break. Indiana State hit .500 as a team in the set, picking up 15 kills and four blocks – holding the Demons to a .000 percentage.
Set 5 | Indiana State 15, Northwestern State 5
Controlling the set from the start, Indiana State jumped to a 7-2 lead before closing the set on an 8-3 run. The Sycamores topped their percentage from the previous set, hitting .625 as a team.
Match 2 | Little Rock 3, Indiana State 2
(24-26, 25-20, 13-15, 25-22, 7-15)
Curry Kendall led the Sycamores in kills with 11, followed by
Ava Robart with 10 kills and a pair of blocks. Four different Sycamores finished with eight kills each:
Hadley Hardersen,
Taylor Knuth,
Lily Mueller, and
Kira Holland.
Hardersen finished with a line of eight kills, 26 assists, and 14 digs – two kills shy of a triple-double. Knuth had her best game as a Sycamore, hitting .583 (8-1-12) with a dig. Mueller recorded the same line (8-1-12) with three blocks. Holland's eight kills came with 12 digs.
Ella Scott chipped in four kills and three blocks.
Corinne Knapp saw her first action of the season and recorded three kills, three digs, and a block.
Set 1 | Little Rock 26, Indiana State 24
The Sycamores found themselves down midway through the set, 15-9, before battling all the way back to gain a 22-20 lead. Four kills by the Trojans helped closed the opening set.
Set 2 | Indiana State 25, Little Rock 20
The Sycamores took an early lead in the set, 8-3 and held a consistent lead of 3-6 points through the midpoint of the set where the Trees led 15-9. The Trojans battled back into the set, closing the deficit and eventually tied the set at 19-19. A kill by
Hadley Hardersen sparked a 6-1 run to close out the second set.
Set 3 | Little Rock 25, Indiana State 13
Set three was dominated by Little Rock, as they held Indiana State to a hitting percentage of zero and racking up seven blocks in the set. An early 6-0 run to bring the set to 8-2 was followed by the Trojans holding a 15-7 lead at the break. Little Rock outside the Sycamores about two-to-one to close the set.
Set 4 | Indiana State 25, Little Rock 22
The fourth set wasn't controlled by either team, with the game staying close the entire set. The largest lead more than two points came at the 20-17 mark when Indiana State took control from a
Taylor Knuth kill. The Sycamores held on to force the deciding fifth set for the second time in the day.
Set 5 | Little Rock 15, Indiana State 7
The Trojans controlled the final set of the match, leading early 4-1 and holding at least a four-point lead the rest of the way before closing the set and taking the match victory.
Combined News & Notes
- Indiana State held Northwestern State to nine points in the fourth set, the last time to hold a team under 10 (excluding fifth sets) since September 3, 2021 against Alcorn State.
- The 3-1 start to the season is the first time since 2018.
- Since the start of the 2022 season, Indiana State was 2-36 when trailing in a match 2-1. Indiana State was down 2-1 in the Northwestern State match before coming back to get the victory. The last time Indiana State won a match when trailing 2-1 was October 7, 2021 against Missouri State.
- The Northwestern State match saw three Sycamores with 15+ kills each. It was the first time that happened in exactly 11 years (September 4, 2015).
- The team's .285 hitting percentage in the Northwestern State was the best in the last 17 matches, dating back to September 27 of last year versus Belmont (.313).
- Kira Holland got her third and fourth double-doubles of the season. Her season high came in the Northwestern State match with 17 kills. She is up to 43 in her career.
- Curry Kendall finished the Northwestern State in sets four and five a combined 10-1-12 (.750) to help will the Sycamores to the victory. She recorded her season high of 15 kills in the match, tying her season high from last year in kills (15 on November 14 against Southern Illinois).
- Emmy Sher recorded her career high in digs in the Little Rock match with 21.
- Taylor Knuth saw her most action as a Sycamore in the Northwestern State match, playing in four sets.
- Between both matches on the day, Knuth hit .692 (12-1-17) including her Sycamore high of eight kills against Little Rock. She recorded her two blocks against Northwestern State.
- Avery Hales matched her season highs from the season opener with 29 assists and 11 digs.
- Hadley Hardersen continues to be a dynamic player for Indiana State: fifth in total kills, second in assists, third in digs per set, and third in blocks per set.
Up Next
Indiana State closes the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational on Saturday afternoon, playing Missouri State at 4pm ET.
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