KOKOMO, Ind. - The Indiana University Kokomo volleyball team paused River States Conference action on Friday night to take on (RV) Saint Xavier University (IL) at the Student Activities and Events Center. IUK battled but eventually fell, 3-0 to Saint Xavier to move to 10-7 overall on the season.
Prior to the match,
Kendal Williams was honored as the senior reached the 2,000 assist milestone earlier this season. Williams becomes the third Cougar to surpass this mark.
Slow starts have been much too common this season for IUK and the first set on Friday night was no different as the Cougars found themselves behind 7-2 in the early part of the set. The Cougars battled back late in the set, cutting the SXU deficit to three at 23-20, forcing a timeout. SXU would get the final two points they needed to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
In the middle set, IUK flipped the script and jumped out to a 5-1 lead over SXU. IU Kokomo would continue to lead until SXU rallied back to go ahead 16-14, prompting an IU Kokomo timeout. With the set even at 22, SXU rattled off three straight points to take a 2-0 lead over the Cougars.
The third and final set would be a back-and-forth affair with neither team leading by more than three points at any time during the match. IU Kokomo had three consecutive set point opportunities to extend the match but SXU spoiled all of them. With the tied at 24, the IU Kokomo attack committed back-to-back errors to give Saint Xavier a 26-24 victory, sealing the 3-0 win.
Lorelei Porter led the IU Kokomo offense with eight kills.
Kaley Lyons and
Kendal Williams each finished with 12 assists while
Alyvia Smith led the defense with 12 digs.
The Cougars will return to action today as they travel to Bourbonnais, Illinois to take on the Trinity Christian Trolls and the Olivet Nazarene Tigers.
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
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