RICHMOND, Ind. – The Indiana University Kokomo volleyball teams's sweep streak came to an end on Friday night but their winning streak lived on as the Cougars took down River States Conference for, Indiana University East, 3-1 for the seventh straight victory. 
 
"I am very proud of our team," said head coach Heather Hayes. "We had a slow start to our season but have steadily gotten better each week. I am proud they have stayed the course and believed in the process. Their hard work is showing, and we are starting to play better volleyball at the right time of the year."
 
Hayes' group dropped their first set in nearly three weeks against the Red Wolves tonight, but the Cougars earned their 10th RSC win of the year and currently hold a 1.5 game lead over Midway for the top spot in the West Division. 
 
"Starting with tonight we have seven tough conference matches left," continued Hayes. "It was great to get a good win against a good team on the road. Both teams have strong offenses when they are in system. The match became a serve and pass match and whoever was in system and serving aggressively was the team that won each set."
 
IU Kokomo had three players with double figure kills in the win led by Sidney Gerig with 14. Erinn Adam and Audrey Strawsma each added 10. 
 
The two sides opened the first set by trading points, but the Cougars used a 5-1 run to open an 11-7 lead. Strawsma had two kills and a block assist during the short IUK run. IU Kokomo built its largest lead of the set after an IU East attack error made it 21-14. 
 
Gerig ended things in the first set with a kill to give the Cougars the 25-17 win and a 1-0 match advantage. 
 
Three kills and a service ace helped the Cougars jump out to an early 4-1 lead in the second set. A kill from Adam would extend the IU Kokomo lead to 8-2. Kaley Lyons put IUK up 22-12 with a kill but the Red Wolves starting to mount a comeback, going on an 8-2 run to make it a 24-20 set but Morgan Weir closed out the set with a kill to give the Cougars a commanding 2-0 lead in the match. 
 
The third set is where the Cougars' sweep streak came to an end as the Red Wolves defeated IU Kokomo 25-18 to extend the match. 
 
Though their sweep streak was ended, the Cougars were not going to let their winning streak come to an end. IUK trailed briefly in the fourth set but regained the lead on an IU East attack error and never looked back. 
 
The Cougars used a 5-1 run to run away with the fourth set. Gerig scored the final two points of the match for IUK to lead them to their 18th victory of the season. 
 
Lyons was a dig away from a double-double as the setter had 26 assists and nine digs on the night. Kendal Williams added 21 assists. 
 
Alexa Roberts led the Cougars with 13 digs while Alyvia Smith added 12.  
 
IU Kokomo will continue their final road swing of the year on Friday, October 22 when they travel to West Virginia Tech to take on the Golden Bears. 
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.