FORT WAYNE, Ind. — IU Kokomo volleyball faced a challenging day at the Liz Lykowski Memorial Tournament Friday, falling to a stout Grace College squad 3-1 before bouncing back with a 3-1 victory over St. Ambrose (Iowa).
Match against Grace College (Ind.)
IU Kokomo fell to Grace 3-1, taking a marathon opening set 31-29 before dropping the next three 19-25, 12-25, and 21-25.
Despite the loss, junior outside hitter Mya Grigsby made program history early in the match, becoming the fastest Cougar to reach 1,000 career kills. Grigsby entered the match just two kills shy of the milestone and reached the 1,000-kill mark with her second kill of the opening set.
First Set
- Grigsby opened the match with a kill before adding an ace as the Cougars jumped out to an early 3-0 lead.
- Grace moved in front 10-7, but IU Kokomo battled back to tie the set at 12-12 behind an Avery Littrell ace and a Mia Niekamp kill.
- The two sides traded points deep into extra play before the Cougars prevailed 31-29.
Second Set
- The Cougars stayed even early, tying the set at 7-7, before Grace pulled away to take it 25-19.
Third Set
- IU Kokomo briefly led 3-1, but Grace responded and took control on its way to a 25-12 set win.
Fourth Set
- Grace established an early advantage before IU Kokomo made a late push, but the Lancers held on for a 25-21 win to close the match.
Top Performers
- Grigsby: 15 kills, 13 digs, 2 service aces, 18.5 points
- Littrell: team-high 15 digs, 5 assists, 1 service ace
- Claire Campanello: team-high 20 assists, 8 digs
- Rylee Springer: 16 assists, 9 digs
- Ryleigh Hamilton: team-high 4 blocks, 5 kills, 7.5 points
Match against St. Ambrose (Iowa)
IU Kokomo bounced back with a strong performance against St. Ambrose, winning 3-1 (25-15, 13-25, 25-16, 25-21).
First Set
- St. Ambrose grabbed an early lead, but the Cougars responded behind a series of kills from Mya Grigsby to take control.
- IU Kokomo pulled away down the stretch to take the opening set 25-15.
Second Set
- St. Ambrose responded in the second, taking advantage of several Cougar miscues to build an early advantage.
- The Fighting Bees maintained control throughout the set and evened the match with a 25-13 win.
Third Set
- IU Kokomo regained momentum in the third, building an early lead behind strong play from Grigsby and Ryleigh Hamilton.
- The Cougars remained in control and closed out the set 25-16 to move ahead 2-1 in the match.
Fourth Set
- St. Ambrose led early before the Cougars battled back and eventually moved in front 22-21.
- IU Kokomo finished the match with five consecutive points, securing the fourth set 25-21 and the 3-1 victory.
Top Performers
- Grigsby: match-high 22 kills, 16 digs, 4 blocks, 26.0 points
- Hamilton: 7 kills on .333 hitting, match-high 7 blocks (2 solo), 11.5 points
- Gracelynn Olson: team-high 23 assists, 6 digs
- Claire Campanello: 17 assists, 5 kills on .500 hitting, 2 blocks
- Carpenter: season-high 16 digs, 2 assists, 1 service ace
The Cougars will wrap up their weekend Saturday with a pair of afternoon matches inside the Schaefer Center at Indiana Tech, battling Grand View and host Indiana Tech to close out the Liz Lykowski Memorial Tournament.
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.
