The Online Reflector

The University of Indianapolis volleyball team remained undefeated in GLVC play on Oct. 7, defeating the  Rockhurst University Hawks 3-0.

Sophomore outside hitter Kim Trojan had 11 digs and two aces. Senior outside hitter Kristina Kerrigan led the Greyhounds with 17 kills and nine digs.

Sophomore setter Meghan Binkerd contributed 50 assists to the Greyhounds.

Junior outside hitter Kenzie Bruggeman had a career-high nine kills, while junior middle blocker Brittany Anglemyer also had nine kills.

The Greyhounds won the first set 25-21, the second set 25-18 and the third set 25-23.

UIndy defeated the Cardinals of William Jewell College on Oct. 6 by a score of 3-0.

The Greyhounds were led in points by Kerrigan, who had a total of 13.5 points during the match. Kerrigan also finished with 13 kills and 1 block.

In assists, the Greyhounds were led by Binkerd who had a total of 43 in the match.’

The first set of the match went to the Greyhounds by a narrow margin of 25-22.

In the second set, UIndy won by the same score of 25-22.

In the third set however, UIndy won the match by a larger difference in points, 25-15.

UIndy defeated conference leader University of Southern Indiana 3-0 on Sept. 29, extending the UIndy winning streak to 12.

Kerrigan and senior opposite hitter Kourtney Crawford combined for 31.5 points in the match.

Senior libero/defensive specialist Amy Oldenburg led the team in digs, with 22 in the match, while Binkerd had 40 assists and nine digs.

Defensively, the Greyhounds limited the Screaming Eagles offense to .047, attacking with 28 kills and 22 errors. Sophomore middle blocker Julia Watkins and Crawford led the Greyhounds’ defense with a combined 16 blocks.

In the first set, the Greyhounds led by only two toward the end but went on a 4-0 run to close the set off an ace by Binkerd. UIndy won the set 25-19, and held the Screaming Eagles to -.051 attacking.

In the second set, UIndy trailed USI for a majority of the set until the team went on a 10-0 run to win 25-18. UIndy’s defense limited the Screaming Eagles again, holding USI to -.021 attacking.

In the final set, UIndy trailed by one early, but went on a 7-0 run to take an early lead. The Screaming Eagles offense, however, led them back to within one, 14-13. UIndy pulled away by six, following a missed serve by USI, and went on to win the set along with the match overall, 25-21.

The victory helped extend the team’s  undefeated record in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and put them at 15-2 for the season.

On Sept. 28, the Greyhounds hosted a double-header at the Ruth Lilly Center.

In the first match, the Greyhounds faced the defending Division III champion Wittenberg University. After the teams split the first two sets, the Greyhounds won the last two, securing a 3-1 match win.

Kerrigan had a high scoring performance against Wittenberg, tallying 21 points, 17 kills and finishing with a .342 average.

Binkerd for the seventh match this season, had 45 plus assists. She finished the match with 46 assists.

The second match of the day was against conference opponent Kentucky Wesleyan College. The Greyhounds defeated the Panthers 3-0, marking their sixth shutout in the GLVC  this season.  Kentucky Wesleyan held the lead only twice in the match.

Oldenburg broke double-digits with 12 digs, adding to her streak of consecutive games with 10-plus digs, which was 19 at the time.

On Sept. 25, the Greyhounds defeated Taylor University. Taylor came into the match with equal victories on their record but did not beat the Greyhounds, losing 3-2.

The first two sets went to the Greyhounds, but the Trojans answered back taking two sets of their own and pushing the series into a fifth set. This is only the fourth time the Greyhounds have been in the fifth set of a match this season. The Greyhounds defeated Taylor 17-15 in the final set, earning the win.

Kerrigan had another high-scoring offensive game against Taylor with 36.5 points and 33 kills, bringing her career-kill total to 1,511.

Binkerd finished the night on defense with a season-high 68 digs. Anglemyer tallied 14.5 points and one assist.

“The season started off tough. We played nationally ranked teams, so that only helped us get ready for the season and this weekend,” said Head Volleyball Coach Jody Rogers. “The girls got used to pressure right away, so it enabled them to stick in and fight.”

The Greyhounds are currently ranked No. 9 in NCAA Division II of the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Coaches Top 25.

“We just need to stay consistent and continue to work as a team,” Kerrigan said, returning to the season’s outlook. “We expect to keep playing well.”

The Greyhounds will compete in  Aurora, Ill., on Oct. 12-13 in the GLVC and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference crossover tournament.