Greyhound volleyball to host first GLVC tournament in school’s history
By Staci Reafsnyder
Sports Editor
After a successful start, the University of Indianapolis women’s volleyball team (30-2, 18-1 GLVC) closed out the regular season ranked 20th in the NCAA Division II standings.
Friday, the ‘Hounds defeated Kentucky Wesleyan University in three matches 30-19, 30-18, and 30-17. Senior Casey Chrzastowski led the team with 12 kills and 23 attack attempts, finishing the regular season with a total of over 400 kills.
This match bumped the women ‘Hounds to 30-2, 18-1 in the GLVC, meeting their goal of 30 wins. The team set a new program record for over 30 wins in a season and brought the first ever GLVC tournament to the UIndy campus.
“We have definitely surpassed all of our expectations for the season. To have them play as such a cohesive unit so early is probably what helped us be so successful in the beginning,” said assistant coach Kyp Harasymowycz. “The fact that they have such a high work ethic and stuck with it this far into the season is why we’re being so successful in the end.”
The women ‘Hounds traveled to Rensselaer, Ind., on Oct. 30 to face St. Joseph’s College in a conference match. The squad reached a .413 season-high hitting percentage, contributing to the 30-17, 30-17, 30-21 win over St. Joseph’s. Chrzastowski led the team with 19 kills, 32 attack attempts and a .562 hitting percentage. Freshman setter and outside hitter Cheneta Morrison had a new personal-best 18 digs, and sophomore middle hitter Jessica Breeden totaled 10 kills and 18 attack attempts.
The match against Lewis University (24-3, 14-2 GLVC) on Oct. 27 resulted in a conference loss for the ‘Hounds 30-22, 30-27 and 30-22 and ended their 25 game win streak. Against UIndy, Lewis accumulated a .333 team hitting percentage, the most effective attack since the women ‘Hounds played Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville on Sept. 29. Chrzastowski had a team-high of 10 kills and 33 attack attempts. This was the first defeat for the ‘Hounds since Aug. 25.
Harasymowycz said that the Lewis game was a “perfect storm” and that UIndy played very poorly.
“We needed that smack in the face to get a reality check,” Harasymowycz said. “The girls understood that and came back with a renewed energy against St. Joe.”
The ‘Hounds beat the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in a conference match on Oct. 26 at the Ruth Lilly Fitness Center. Senior middle hitter Elizabeth Shuyler totaled a team high of 12 kills and had a .450 attack percentage to help the ‘Hounds to a three set victory of 30-18, 30-20 and 30-24.
The Greyhounds traveled to Fort Wayne on Oct. 23 to take on Taylor University, ranked 21st in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes. Shuyler and Chrzastowski both had a total of nine kills, and freshman Lyndsay Callahan had 8 kills and 15 digs. The ‘Hounds came out on top with a three-match victory over Taylor and increased their winning streak to 24.
“We knew that they were going to be big and fast,” Harasymowycz said. “They are a very solid team, young as well, but we’re glad that we played aggressively to kind of put them on their heels.”
Head coach Jody Butera said that Taylor was a strong team, ranked in the top 25 in the NAIA and that UIndy played well on their court.
At Highland Heights, Ky., on Oct. 20, the Greyhounds played and defeated Northern Kentucky University for the second time this year in a conference match. Northern Kentucky was ranked 25th in the nation at the time and led the hitting percentage in the GLVC.
In Louisville, Ky., the ‘Hounds played conference foe Bellarmine University on Oct. 19. In a four-set game, UIndy took the victory. Morrison set the pace with 21 kills and 14 digs, a personal best for the young player.
UIndy played Tiffin University in a regular season match on Oct. 17. In the first set, Tiffin led until freshman Allison Lutocka killed the ball to bring the ‘Hounds ahead 28-27. The ‘Hounds defeated the Tiffin team, limiting them to a .117 hitting percentage.
UIndy played Drury University on Oct. 13 in a conference match at the Ruth Lilly Fitness Center. For the first two games, Drury trailed UIndy by to only a couple of points, but fell back in the third match. Callahan led the team with 14 kills and 15 digs. The resulting scores were 30-27, 30-24 and 30-10.
UIndy defeated Rockhurst University in a five-game match 30-24, 30-22, 26-30, 23-30 and 15-12 on Oct. 12. Breeden had a career-high of 13 blocks, while Shuyler led the team with a .348 hitting percentage.
Butera said that she is happy overall with the season, and that being ranked 20th in the nation helps to recruit future players for the program.
