Volleyball improves from slow start
The University of Indianapolis volleyball team improved its record to 4-4 on Sept. 14, with a 3-0 victory over the Gannon University Golden Knights.
In the first set, UIndy grabbed an early 8-4 lead, but the Golden Knights managed to fight back, pulling within just one point on four different occasions. With the score at 15-14, UIndy then went on a 10-4 run, winning the set 25-18.
In the second set, UIndy had early success again, jumping out to a 10-2 lead. Gannon was never able to bounce back, and UIndy went on to win the set 25-13.
In the final set of the match, the Hounds again grabbed an early lead, 10-5. Gannon refused to go quietly, however, fighting back to a one-point deficit, 16-15. The Hounds then went on a 4-1 run to pull ahead, 20-16, but gave up a 4-1 run shortly after, making the set 21-20 in the Greyhounds’ favor. UIndy went on to finish with another 4-1 run, closing out the set 25-21 and securing the win.
Earlier in the day, UIndy had the same success against the Wayne State University Warriors, winning 3-0. The Greyhounds won the first set with a close score of 25-22, which would become the closest finish of the match. UIndy won the second and third sets over the Warriors 25-19 and 25-12, respectively.
Leading up to the weekend, Head Volleyball Coach Jason Reed said that there were things the team needed to improve on. “First, [the team needs to work on] ball contact and keeping the ball in play. In situations where it is a little less perfect, we have got to find a way to make an aggressive play but still manage our errors.”
UIndy did manage its attack errors, committing 16 fewer over that weekend than in the first four matches of the season.
Reed said that he was pleased with how the team responded by correcting its mistakes.
“We passed the ball a lot better,” he said. “[Junior setter] Meghan Binkerd set the ball to a lot of different hitters, and we got a lot of contributions from a lot of hitters”.
The Greyhounds went 1-1 in their two matches the day prior, on Sept. 13.
UIndy went up against the Division II No. 2 ranked University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in its second match of the day, losing 3-1. The Greyhounds won the first set 25-23, but the Bulldogs came back to win the next three sets 26-24, 25-15, 25-23 and the match overall.
Prior to the loss, UIndy defeated the Upper Iowa University Peacocks 3-2, in its first of a four-match weekend.
Sophomore outside hitter Hailey Brown contributed to the three victories UIndy racked up over the weekend, accumulating 47 kills and 43 digs.
Brown said that her accomplishments over the weekend were not the result of her efforts alone, but of those around her.
“My teammates helped me a lot this weekend, to be honest,” Brown said. “This weekend, I really wanted to turn it around. I give all my credit to my teammates. I couldn’t have done it without their help.”
Recognizing Brown’s abilities, Reed said, “We know that when we need a kill we can go to Hailey, and we’re confident that she will go up and take a big swing and score a point for us.”
Another highlight of the weekend was freshman libero/defensive specialist Alyssa Garrett, who appeared in her first collegiate starts. Garrett had 42 digs for the weekend and, like Brown, emphasized the efforts of the team.
Garrett said that with those games being her first as a college athlete, teamwork helped her achieve such a high level of performance this early in her career.
“I have really worked hard to get to where I am, and the team supported me a lot,” she said.
Reed said he has enjoyed coaching Garrett. “She’s a real student of the game. It has been fun to teach her, since I was a libero as well.”
The Greyhounds’ next match will be at home on Sept. 28 against the Rockhurst University Hawks at 5 p.m.
