KOKOMO, Ind. - The 21st ranked Indiana University Kokomo volleyball team hosted River States Conference rival IU East Tuesday night. The Cougars took down the Red Wolves in four-sets to stay undefeated in River States Conference play. 

With IU East now a part of the RSC East division, Tuesday's match was the only one of the season between IU Kokomo & IU East.

Head coach Heather Hayes was honored prior to the match for surpassing the 300 career win mark. Hayes's 300th win came on September 9th in a three-set sweep of Cumberland University (Tenn.). 

On Alumni Night inside the Student Activities & Events Center, the Cougars and Red Wolves played a tight opening 22 points of the match. Trailing 12-10, IU Kokomo went on a 10-0 run, fueled by four Maggie Connell kills, to take a commanding 20-12 lead. 

IU East responded by cutting the deficit to four at 20-16, but IU Kokomo held on to win the opening set 25-19.

The Cougars jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the second stanza, but the Red Wolves battled back to even the set 10-10. IUK won six of the next seven points to force an IU East timeout. The Cougs ended the set on a 5-0 run, winning it 25-17 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

With their backs against the wall on the road, IU East showed signs of life early in the third set. The Red Wolves led 9-2 at one point, before taking an 18-12 lead and forcing an IU Kokomo timeout. IUE went on to win the set 25-18, forcing a fourth set. 

After a tightly-contested start to the set, IU Kokomo managed to gain separation by winning four-straight points while leading 6-5. IU East cut the deficit to one, forcing a first IUK timeout of the set. The Cougars responded well, winning the first three points out of the timeout to lead 15-12.

Trailing 20-17, the Red Wolves won three-consecutive points to tie the set at 20 apiece and force a second & final Cougar timeout of the set. With the set tied 23-23, Audrey Strawsma & Lexi Broyles recorded kills on back-to-back points to give IUK a 25-23 set win and 3-1 victory over the Red Wolves of IU East.

Junior Maggie Connell provided a spark for the Cougars offensively Tuesday, tallying a team-high 16 kills. Lexi Broyles also played a key role in the win, totaling 13 kills and a team-high six blocks. The ever-reliable Audrey Strawsma had 11 kills, two blocks, and an ace. Freshman Cali Cummings was a force at the net as well, adding five blocks. 

Kaley Lyons had a double-double in the win, contributing 28 assists and 11 digs, while sophomore setter Allison Richman added 19 assists. Alyvia Smith had a team-high 16 digs to go along with six assists, as Ellie Garland recorded nine digs.

The Cougars will hit the road for a pair of matches this weekend. The first stop is Friday night at Oakland City before a Saturday afternoon match at Brescia.

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.