FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Indiana University Kokomo volleyball team returned to the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Saturday to close out the weekend with two more matches. The Cougars would sweep Fisk before outlasting (RV) Bethel (Ind.) in five.

Match One vs Fisk (W, 25-18, 25-14, 25-19)
The Cougars would cruise to a three-set win over the Bulldogs of Fisk Saturday morning, allowing head coach Heather Hayes to make substitutions in set three ahead of the nightcap against strong foe in Bethel.

IU Kokomo found themselves in front 13-7 midway through set one, before eventually extending the lead to eight at 13-21 to force a Bulldog timeout. The Cougars would take set one 25-18.

The Cougs would carry the momentum over to set two, where they would win the opening six-points for a commanding lead. A Lexi Broyles kill stretched the lead to double-digits at 15-5, as IUK went on to win set two 25-14.

Fisk saved their best set of the match for last, as they kept pace with IU Kokomo early on. IUK would eventually gain some distance to lead 16-11, but the Bulldogs would battle back within a point at 18-17 to make things interesting. Leading 20-19, IU Kokomo won five-straight points to close out the set and match.

Kaley Lyons led the Cougars in both assists and digs with 19 and eight respectively, while Mya Grigsby had a team-high 12 kills. Lexi Broyles added 10 and Cali Cummings contributed nine. 

Match Two vs (RV) Bethel (Ind.) (W, 19-25, 25-14, 16-25, 25-21, 15-9)
IU Kokomo fell behind the Pilots 4-0, forcing themselves to play from behind in the opening set. Bethel would extend the lead to six at 15-9 to force a Cougar timeout, as the Pilots would go on to take set one 25-19.

Just as the Pilots did in the opening set, IU Kokomo began set two with a vengeance. The Cougars began the set on a 5-0 run, setting the tone for a dominant 25-14 set win that evened the match 1-1.

While the Cougars managed to win set two handily, it was the Pilots turn to cruise to a set victory. Bethel won seven-straight points to open set three, never allowing IUK within seven as they took set three 25-16 to lead 2-1.

The Cougars led early in set three, but unlike the previous three, Bethel had an answer. pulling even once and within one on multiple occasions.

IU Kokomo extended the lead back to five at 23-18, but the Pilots would force an IUK timeout with a 3-0 run of their own. IUK would win the final two points of the set out of the Heather Hayes timeout, forcing a winner-take-all set five.

IU Kokomo led 3-1 early in the race to 15, but the Pilots utilized a 4-0 spurt to take a 5-3 lead 1/3 of the way thru the set. The Cougars would trail by as many as three, but they finished the match on an 8-0 run to take the set 15-9 and the match 3-2.

Mya Grigsby and Kaley Lyons each recorded another double-double, as Grigsby tallied 18 kills and 14 digs and Lyons totaled 26 assists and 14 digs. Maggie Connell added 15 kills, Allison Richman recorded 19 assists, and Ellie Garland anchored the back row with a team-high 18 digs.

The Cougars will make their furthest trip of the regular season next weekend, as they will fly to Omaha, Nebraska, where they will compete in the College of Saint Mary's Labor Day Classic.

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.