OMAHA, Neb. - The Indiana University Kokomo volleyball team began play at the College of Saint Mary Labor Day Classic Friday, dropping the opener to The Master's University before beating 23rd ranked University of Providence in four. 

The highlight of Friday's first match for the Cougars proved to be setter Kaley Lyons surpassing yet another career milestone. She reached 1,000 career digs with her fifth dig of the match against The Master's, making her just the second player in program history to record 2,000+ career assists and 1,000+ career digs.

Match One vs The Master's (L, 23-25, 18-25, 22-25)
After jumping out to a 3-1 lead, a pair of IU Kokomo points knotted the score at three apiece. The Mustangs would immediately respond with a 4-0 run to gain separation and force a Cougar timeout. Another scoring run from The Master's, this time with the score tied at 12, gave them a commanding seven-point lead at 19-12. 

The Cougars did well to battle back into the set and within one at 23-22 and 24-23, but a Mustang kill on the ensuing point would give them a narrow opening set win.

The Master's carried all the momentum into set two, winning seven of the first eight points for an early six-point lead. IU Kokomo would get within three, but the Mustangs rolled to a 25-18 set win for a 2-0 lead.

Unlike sets one and two, it was the Cougars in control for a majority of the set. Leading 12-11 halfway thru set three, a 4-0 spurt from IUK made it a five-point lead to force a Mustang timeout. 

Trailing 20-15, The Master's trimmed their deficit to one at 21-20. IU Kokomo won the following point to re-take a two-point lead, but the Mustangs would the end the set on a 5-0 run to take the set 25-20 and the match in straight-sets.

Lexi Broyles was the lone Cougar in the match to record double-digit kills, flooring 10 kills on 16 attempts for a .500 hitting percentage. Mya Grigsby added eight kills and a team-high 13 digs.

Junior setter Allison Richman led the IUK passing attack with 16 assists. Ellie Garland contributed 11 digs.

Match Two vs #23 University of Providence (W, 27-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-22)
Having opened the weekend with a loss for the first time this season, IU Kokomo was slow out of the gates in match two of the day as well, allowing the Argos of Providence to jump out to a 7-3 lead. Still trailing by four midway through the opener, the Cougars won three-straight points to trim the deficit to one.

A 5-0 IU Kokomo run later in the set would give them their first lead of the match at 20-18, but the set was far from over. Providence battled back to even the score at 24, before Heather Hayes's squad displayed their resiliency by winning three of the ensuing four points to take the first set 27-25.

The Cougars appeared to be playing much better volleyball early in set two, as a 5-0 run made it a seven point Cougar lead at the mid-point of set two. Providence would make things interesting, taking a 20-19 lead of their own to force an IUK timeout. The Cougs won six of the following seven points out of the timeout to win set two 25-21.

After gaining some separation nearly halfway thru set two, the Argos managed to maintain control and take set three 25-18 to trail 2-1.

Just as they did in set two, IU Kokomo put some distance between themselves and the Argos, but they would battle back within one of the Cougs on several occasions. Leading 23-20, consecutive Providence points forced a Cougar timeout, but a Grigsby kill and Argos attack error gave the Cougars the set 25-22 and the match 3-1.

Freshman Mya Grigsby recorded a career-high in kills with 25, while also recording a team-best 16 digs. Cali Cummings floored 11 kills and Maggie Connell added seven. Sophomore Alexis Baney had a career-high six total blocks.

Kaley Lyons and Allison Richman each had strong matches at setter, with Lyons totaling 26 assists and Richman tallying 24. Ellie Garland finished with 12 digs with Julia Sanders recording eight.

The Cougars Labor Day weekend in Omaha is far from over however, as they will battle #2 Northwestern (Iowa) and Peru State Saturday inside the Lied Fieldhouse.

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.