KOKOMO, Ind. - The IU Kokomo volleyball team, led by 12th year head coach Heather Hayes, earned a seventh-straight win Thursday night with a sweep of IU Southeast. The Cougars are now 13-4 overall and 3-0 in River States Conference play.

26-year IU Kokomo employee Cathy Valcke served as the honorary coach for Thursday's matchup with the Grenadiers. Both Cathy and her husband Dan have been long-standing IU Kokomo volleyball and IU Kokomo athletics supporters.

The IU Kokomo offense struggled early in set one, as four-consecutive IUK attack errors fueled a 6-0 IU Southeast run, forcing a coach Hayes timeout while trailing 10-5.

That timeout was just what the doctor ordered, serving as a bit of a wake-up call for the 11th-ranked Cougars. IU Kokomo won the ensuing eight points out of the timeout to lead 13-10 midway thru the opener.

The Grenadiers battled back to even the score at 17 apiece, but kills from Mya Grigsby and Maggie Connell on consecutive points forced an IUSE timeout while trailing 19-17. IU Kokomo would win five of the next seven points to win set one 25-20.

Just like set one, set two proved to be tightly-contested as well. IU Kokomo trailed 13-11 before three Grenadier attack errors and a Lexi Broyles ace gave the Cougs a one-point lead at 14-13. Leading by one at 20-19, five of the following six points went the way of the Cougars, giving them a 2-0 lead with a five-point second set victory.

IU Kokomo won 10 of the first 15 points of set three thanks to nine kills from the Cougar attack. The IUK lead would be extended to double-digits at 20-10 after the Cougs utilized another 5-0 spurt. A Grenadier attack error on set point gave IUK a 25-15 third-set win and sweep of IU Southeast. 

Maggie Connell led the IUK attack Thursday, totaling a match-high 12 kills. Lexi Broyles added 10 kills as Mya Grigsby floored nine. Setter Allison Richman recorded six kills to go along with 13 assists, while fellow setter Kaley Lyons had 19 assists and seven digs.

Ellie Garland led the Cougs defensively with 14 digs, with fellow DS Julia Sanders tallying 12 digs and a match-high three aces. 

The Cougars will be back-in-action Friday for their final non-conference match of the regular season. IU Kokomo will head north to battle IU South Bend 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.