IU Southeast looked good early, but trailed off late as Spalding won the Sept. 10 matchup, 25-21, 22-25, 22-25, 27-25, 15-8.

In the first game, the Grenadiers rallied to within two at 23-21 after being down by as many as seven. Spalding’s strong serves offset IU Southeast’s stellar defensive effort on the front line.

“We did come alive at the net,” IUS head coach Carrie Lilly said. “We’ve been working on that in practice.”

IU Southeast raced to an early 5-0 lead in the second game on more solid net play and good defense. A spike by junior right-side hitter Lindsey Williams gave the Grenadiers a 21-18 lead and evened the match at one game apiece.
Williams led IU Southeast with 12 kills.

In the third game, IU Southeast jumped ahead 9-6 to start the game, but Spalding rallied to take a 21-20 lead. The Grenadiers then took advantage of several errant Golden Eagle serves to eke out the match, 25-22.

The fourth game featured five ties, but Spalding was able to finish out the game, 27-25. The warm temperatures in the Derek Smith Gymnasium seemed to take a toll as the match wore on.

“They complained about being hot,” Lilly said. “It shouldn’t be an issue.”

In the fifth game, IU Southeast took the lead at 4-2, but Spalding came back to tie the score at 5-5. Spalding then went on a 10-3 run to finish the game 15-8. The Golden Eagles served an ace on the final point to close out the match, 3-2.

Lilly said the Grenadiers tend to get comfortable with a lead and go into cruise control.

“They’re starting to get frustrated,” Lilly said. “We still have to work on trust.”

Lilly also said the team  needs to  practice harder before conference play starts.

“I’m pretty mad,” Lilly said. “I know they’re better than what they’re showing. They need to show more heart.”

By MATTHEW LEE MILLER
Staff Writer
mlm5@ius.edu