BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – It was a weekend of milestones for the Indiana University Kokomo volleyball team as Kaley Lyons reached 1,000 career assists and Erinn Adam surpassed 1,000 career kills. The Cougars split a pair of matches with Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponents, Trinity Christian College and Olivet Nazarene University on Saturday.
 
Match One Recap
In the first match of the day, the Cougars came back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat the Trolls of Trinity Christian. IUK lost the first set 25-19 before winning three straight to claim the 3-1 victory in the first of what would be their final two non-conference matches of the season. 
 
IU Kokomo held a 4-3 advantage early in the first set but the Trolls went on a 5-0 run to double the Cougars up at 8-4. The run turned out to be the difference in the opening set as the Trolls never looked back enroute to their only set win of the match. 
 
In the second set, the Cougars led from start to finish, leading by as many seven points. IU Kokomo hit .290 in the set with 14 kills and five errors. 
 
IU Kokomo fell behind 3-0 early in the third set but a kill from Adam gave the Cougars a 6-5 advantage. The Trolls were not going away easy in the third as they battled back to regain the lead at 14-13. Three consecutive points from the Cougars, including a service ace from Erica Packwood gave them the lead back and that would be all IUK needed, as they hung on to the lead for the remainder of the set to win 25-22 and take a 2-1 lead in the match. 
 
What turned out to be the fourth and final set was the best for the Cougars, as they hit a match-high .440 with 14 kills and three errors. Despite their highest hitting percentage of the match, the Cougars trailed for much of the set. Back-to-back kills from Adam and Lorelei Porter gave the Cougars their first lead of the match at 15-14. The IU Kokomo attack caught fire, ending the set on a 10-3 run that was capped off by a kill from Jocelyn Hack to complete the come-from-behind victory for the Cougars. 
 
Three Cougars finished with double figure kills led by Adam with 16. Porter and Hack each added 10 kills in the win. 
 
Kaley Lyons led the way with 24 assists while Kendal Williams added 23. The IU Kokomo defense finished with 12 blocks. 
 
Match Two Recap
Despite four Cougars finishing with double figure kills in the five-set thriller against Olivet Nazarene, IU Kokomo fell to the Tigers, 3-2 in the nightcap. 
 
In the first set, the teams traded points for the first 20 points. Trailing 12-11, the Cougars were on the wrong end of a 5-0 run that saw ONU take a 17-11 advantage which proved to be the turning point of the first set. The Tigers went on to take a 25-17 win and a 1-0 lead in the match. 
 
A slow start from the Cougars in the second put them in a 2-0 match deficit as the Tigers jumped out to an 11-3 lead that IU Kokomo could never recover from. ONU won the second set, 25-14. 
 
Facing a sweep, the Cougars came out in the third and matched the Tigers point-for-point for the duration of the set. IU Kokomo had four opportunities to close out the set but the Tigers spoiled those chances, forcing the match to continue past 25. With two more chances to secure the set, the Cougars waivered but with the score even at 29, IUK scored two consecutive points to claim the 31-29 victory and keep the match alive. 
 
IU Kokomo cruised to a 25-14 victory in the fourth set to even things at two, forcing a decisive fifth and final set. 
 
It looked as if the Cougars were going to complete the comeback as they built a 12-5 advantage in the race to 15 but the Tigers had other plans and clawed back to even the set at 14. The Tigers scored four points to the Cougars' two in the final stages of the set to claim the 18-16 win and a 3-2 match victory. 
 
Porter, Morgan Weir, and Sidney Gerig each finished the five-set thriller with 11 kills while Adam added 10, helping her reach the 1,000 kill milestone. 
 
Alyvia Smith collected a season-high 32 digs in the loss while Lyons finished with a double-double, dishing out 23 assists and tallying 16 digs. 
 
The Cougars will resume River States Conference action on Tuesday as they travel to Saint Mary of the Woods College.
 
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.