ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Indiana University Kokomo volleyball team saw its season come to an end on Saturday as the Cougars fell 3-0 to the Northwestern College Raiders inside Bultman Center. IU Kokomo finishes the year with a 28-9 overall record including the River States Conference regular season and tournament championship. The NAIA Volleyball Championship appearance was the seventh straight for the program. 
 
In the opening set the Cougars matched the Raiders point-for-point until Northwestern used a 5-1 run to take a 10-5 advantage. The Raiders remained in control for the duration of the first set, eventually winning 25-11. Sidney Gerig finished the set with four kills on seven swings, for a .429 hitting percentage. 
 
Once again, the Cougars hung with the Raiders in the early parts of the second set. A kill from Erinn Adam cut the IUK deficit to just two points at 7-5. A 6-2 run from Northwestern capped off by two mishaps from the Cougars forced ninth year head coach Heather Hayes to call her first timeout of the set with her team trailing 13-7. The Raiders would go on to win the set 25-15. Sophomore Lorelei Porter registered four kills in the set on seven swings. 
 
After Morgan Weir put the Cougars on the board with a kill to open the third set, the Raiders rattled off eight straight points and IUK found themselves playing from behind. Maggie Connell found the floor to end the Northwestern run and make it 8-2, but six more unanswered points from the Raiders put the set out of reach. A 25-12 third set victory sealed the win for Northwestern. 
 
Gerig finished the match with a team-high six kills while Weir, Adam, and Porter each added five. Kaley Lyons led the Cougars with 17 assists while Alyvia Smith paced the defense with 13 digs. 
 
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.