KOKOMO, Ind. — The No. 23 IU Kokomo women's volleyball team opened postseason play with a dominant performance Tuesday evening, sweeping Midway University in straight sets (25-15, 25-19, 25-11) at the Student Activities & Events Center in the River States Conference Tournament Quarterfinals.
The second-seeded Cougars (24-7) delivered an efficient offensive performance, hitting .373 as a team with 48 kills while limiting the seventh-seeded Eagles to a .073 hitting percentage and just 24 kills. IU Kokomo also held an 11-4 advantage in blocks to secure its spot in Friday's conference semifinals.
Junior
Mya Grigsby led the offensive attack with a match-high 16 kills on 24 swings and just one error, hitting .625 while adding nine digs. Senior
Mia Niekamp contributed nine kills on a .368 hitting percentage, reaching the 1,000-career kill milestone with her fourth kill of the evening. Fellow senior
Cali Cummings added nine kills on a .300 hitting percentage.
Defensively,
Trishell Johnson led the Cougars with seven total blocks, including two solo stops, while senior libero
Avery Littrell collected a match-high 17 digs.
Gracelynn Olson dished out 21 assists, while
Rylee Springer added 11.
First Set
- IU Kokomo established control early, jumping ahead 5-1 behind consecutive kills from Natalie Sevier and a Midway attack error.
- The Cougars extended their advantage to 16-9 following a three-point stretch that included back-to-back blocks involving Johnson.
- IU Kokomo maintained its advantage throughout the remainder of the set, using an efficient offensive performance to take the opener 25-15.
- The Cougars recorded 16 kills against just two errors on 33 attempts, hitting .424 while holding the Eagles to a negative hitting percentage.
Second Set
- The Cougars continued their offensive efficiency in the second set, collecting a match-high 17 kills while hitting .316.
- IU Kokomo built an 18-11 advantage before extending its lead to 21-12 behind kills from Ryleigh Hamilton and Cummings.
- Midway attempted to close the gap late, but the Cougars maintained control behind their offensive attack.
- Grigsby delivered the final kill of the set to secure a 25-19 victory and give IU Kokomo a two-set advantage.
Third Set
- IU Kokomo wasted little time taking control of the third set, scoring the first nine points behind the serving of Olson. The run featured kills from Cummings, Grigsby and Niekamp, along with two solo blocks from Niekamp.
- The Cougars continued to build their advantage while limiting Midway to just seven kills in the final set.
- IU Kokomo finished the third set with 15 kills and just three errors on 31 attempts, hitting .387 to complete the straight-set victory.
Individual Highlights
With the victory, IU Kokomo advances to the River States Conference Tournament Semifinals on Friday, Nov. 13, at the Jeanne Knoerle Center in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. The Cougars will look to earn a spot in Saturday's conference championship match with a win over #3 seed Rio Grande in Friday's semifinal.
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, X and Instagram.
