SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. - The Indiana University Kokomo volleyball team closed out another perfect River States Conference campaign, sweeping Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Friday night having already clinched a second-consecutive River States Conference regular season crown.

The Cougars three-year River States Conference win-streak will see a fourth year, as Heather Hayes's squads have now gone undefeated in conference play in both 2023 and 2024. 

11th ranked IU Kokomo has earned a tenth-straight NAIA Volleyball Championship appearance as a result of the RSC Title, and are very likely to host an NAIA Opening Round match Saturday, November 23rd.

IU Kokomo led by one after 13 points in set one, building the lead to five at 15-10 to force a Pomeroys timeout. SMWC impressively battled back to pull within one of IUK at 20-19, but the Cougars held on to take the opener 25-21.

The Cougars carried that momentum into the second, winning the first six points to set the tone. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods trimmed the deficit to four at 19-15, but a 6-0 spurt from IU Kokomo gave the Cougs a 2-0 lead.

IUK and SMWC found themselves tied at both 10-10 and 15-15 in the third set, yet the Cougars exploded for eight kills down the stretch to take the set 25-22 and the match in three.

Graduate student Kaley Lyons led the Cougars in both assists and digs on the night, recording 19 assists and eight digs. Allison Richman added 17 assists and three kills. Chloe Carpenter and Lea Mummert each finished with six digs.

Mya Grigsby floored a match-high 14 kills and a strong .303 hitting percentage. Lexi Broyles had 11 kills and a match-high three blocks, while Mummert totaled eight kills and Cali Cummings tallied seven.

Having earned the #1 seed in this week's RSC Championship, the Cougars will host #8 seed Midway Tuesday night in the Quarterfinals at 7:00 PM.

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.