Volleyball wins at home
The University of Indianapolis volleyball hosted the University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles on Oct. 5, winning a close match 3-2.
UIndy volleyball players line up at the net to await the opponents serve.
Both teams battled back and forth throughout the match, as the Greyhounds won the first and third sets, while the Screaming Eagles won the second and fourth. In the pivotal fifth set, the Greyhounds pulled out the slim victory 15-11.
Four Greyhounds finished the match with double-digit kills, while junior setter Meghan Binkerd recorded 60 assists for the Greyhounds in their victory.
Freshman libero/defensive specialist Alyssa Garrett and sophomore outside hitter Hailey Brown led the Hounds defensively, posting 29 and 26 digs, respectively.
The Hounds played against the Bellarmine University Knights earlier that weekend on Oct. 4 at home, winning 3-1.
Both teams split the first two sets, with UIndy claiming the first 25-13 and the Knights taking the second 25-19. The Hounds went on to win the third and fourth sets, 25-17 and 25-21, respectively.
The Greyhounds improved their record to 3-1 in conference play with a 3-2 victory over the William Jewell College Cardinals at the Ruth Lilly Center on Sept. 29.
In the first set, the Greyhounds took an early 11-6 lead, but the Cardinals fought their way back into the set and pulled even 21-21. The Cardinals then went on a 4-1 run and won the first set 25-22.
The Hounds responded in the second and third sets, winning 25-17 and 29-27 respectively.
After the Cardinals won the fourth set 25-17, evening the match at two sets, the Hounds went on to win the final set 15-11, claiming the match.
The day prior on Sept. 28, UIndy won its home opener against the Rockhurst University Hawks 3-2.
UIndy’s victory was highlighted by the performance of Binkerd, who posted a career high in assists, totaling 70 for the match. Binkerd’s 70 assists also set a new school record for total assists in a five-set match.
Binkerd, who had 125 assists in the Greyhounds’ victories over the Cardinals and Hawks, said that the team connected well during the game.
“We connected a lot better, and I think the defense did a good job of giving us the opportunity to score in transition for our hitters. The defense really helped our offense,” Binkerd said.
Head Volleyball Coach Jason Reed said that Binkerd’s performance and her preparation leading up to the weekend were great.
“Meghan had a real good week of practice, and you could see that she was consciously making the effort to do the things we talked about in practice. Her tempo to the pin was fast, and she set her hitters in good situations. She helped them be successful.”
The Greyhounds’ senior outside hitter Kenzie Bruggeman had 23 kills in the match against Rockhurst and also gave credit to Binkerd.
“Every single set was to the pin,” Bruggeman said. “And I thank her for my performance, because she had it every time.”
The match against Rockhurst was Reed’s first time coaching at home in the Ruth Lilly Fitness Center. Reed said that he enjoyed the experience.
“It was fun coaching in Ruth Lilly. The atmosphere here is exceptional. It’s loud, [and] the fans get into it. The support is obviously tremendous,” Reed said.
The Hounds’ next match will be on the road on Oct. 11 against the University of Illinois Springfield PrairieStars at 8 p.m.
