KOKOMO, Ind. — After celebrating a milestone before the match, IU Kokomo had plenty more to celebrate Tuesday night. The Cougars rallied from an opening-set loss to defeat rival IU East in four sets, 19-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-21, inside the Student Activities and Events Center.
Prior to first serve, head coach and Director of Athletics Heather Hayes was surprised with a special recognition of her 400th collegiate coaching victory. Hayes, who reached the milestone September 17th with a sweep at IU South Bend, was presented with a commemorative game ball in front of the home crowd.
Once play began, the Cougars overcame a slow start to take control of the match, finishing with advantages of 53-40 in kills, in hitting percentage .194 to .128, and 10.0-4.0 in total blocks.
First Set
- IU Kokomo broke an early 3-3 tie with four consecutive points, getting kills from Mya Grigsby, Trishell Johnson and Natalie Sevier along with a Sevier block to take a 7-3 lead.
- IU East responded and eventually moved in front 12-9 before Sevier helped the Cougars pull even at 15-15.
- The Red Wolves regained control from there, building a 19-16 advantage before a Chloe Carpenter service ace brought IU Kokomo within one.
- IU East closed strong, however, taking the opening set 25-19.
Second Set
- The Cougars responded immediately, racing out to a 4-0 lead behind the serve of Gracelynn Olson and a pair of Grigsby kills.
- IU Kokomo continued to create separation, extending its advantage to 13-5 behind strong play at the net, an Avery Littrell ace and kills from Ryleigh Hamilton and Grigsby.
- Carpenter later added an ace before another Grigsby kill pushed the lead to 20-11.
- The Cougars finished off a dominant response with a 25-15 victory to even the match at one set apiece.
Third Set
- IU East grabbed a 6-4 advantage with consecutive service aces, but IU Kokomo answered behind kills from Sevier and Grigsby to move ahead 9-7.
- Neither side created much separation as the set eventually reached a 15-15 tie.
- From there, the Cougars won five of the next six points, with Johnson and Grigsby supplying kills to give IU Kokomo a 20-16 advantage.
- The Red Wolves pulled within three at 23-20, but Cali Cummings and Sevier delivered back-to-back kills to close out a 25-20 win and give the Cougars a 2-1 match lead.
Fourth Set
- IU Kokomo took control early in the fourth, winning seven of eight rallies to turn a 4-2 advantage into an 11-3 lead. Tia Williams recorded her first career ace during the run, while the Cougars also won four consecutive points with Rylee Springer at the service line.
- IU East answered after the lead reached 14-6, scoring four straight points to pull within 14-10. Sevier and Johnson responded with kills to help the Cougars maintain control.
- A Cummings & Makenzie Creviston block combined with a Grigsby kill helped IU Kokomo rebuild its cushion before another Grigsby kill and a Cummings solo-block made it 21-13.
- IU East made one final push, winning three consecutive rallies after the Cougars reached match point, but Sevier put an end to the comeback attempt with a kill off an Olson assist to secure the 25-21 set victory and the four-set win.
IU Kokomo Top Performers
- Mya Grigsby led the Cougars with 15 kills while adding 10 digs and a solo block.
- Avery Littrell collected a match-high 20 digs to go along with three assists and a service ace.
- Natalie Sevier finished with a career-high 13 kills on a .343 hitting percentage, and the first solo block of her collegiate career.
- Trishell Johnson totaled five blocks, including two solo, while adding six kills.
- Chloe Carpenter recorded 15 digs and a pair of service aces.
- Tia Williams totaled a career-high four digs to go along with a service ace.
The Cougars are just getting started with their home slate this week, as IU Kokomo will host IU Southeast Friday night for Homecoming before turning around Saturday for a matinee against IU Columbus.
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 Cougar Athletics by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, X and Instagram.
