On Sept. 9, the IUS volleyball team handed the Spalding Golden Eagles a defeat on their home court.

The Grenadiers won the first match with Spalding tying the score twice but never taking the lead. The final score was 25-21.

In the second match, head coach Lesley Prather showed visible frustration as the Grenadiers led a close game but trailed the entire match. The Grenadiers lost the second match 25-22.

A third match victory was led by serves from veteran players sophomore Lauren McCartin and senior Kara Draer.

Senior Vanessa Stauble, who led the team with eight kills, landed a vicious dig that kept up the team’s momentum. The Grenadiers won the third match 25-20.

“Their back row just killed us,” Spalding assistant coach Steve Kennedy said. “This beating is going to motivate us.”

The Grenadiers gained ground quickly in the match maintaining a seven-point lead throughout most of the game. They finished the final match with an impressive score of 25-19.

With only one match compromised the team defeated Spalding overall 3-1.

“Our defense was really good,” Prather said. “All of our serves were aggressive and you could really see the team effort.”

The Grenadiers are currently in first place in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 6-7 overall record and a 1-0 conference record.

“The girls really came together to beat Spalding,” said McCartin. “We worked well as team, stuck together, and really performed.”

In the end, the Grenadiers came out on top defeating Spalding 25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 25-19.

The Grenadiers’ next game will be Sept. 22, when they host Midway College.

By MATTHEW CHINN
Staff Writer
mchinn@ius.edu