Lindsey Wilson College continued its seven-game winning streak with its win against IU Southeast Sept. 20 in the Activities Building.

The Grenadiers kept it close but lost in four sets, 3-1, to the Blue Raiders. This loss ended the team’s two-game winning streak.

“I am very, very, very proud of my team tonight,” Lesley Drury-Prather, IUS volleyball head coach, said. “This is the first time that they have showed heart and fight and fire, which we have been preaching all year, and so it’s really great to see it.”

Coral Maybrier, freshman outside hitter, completed the first set with multiple kills. Despite her effort, the Blue Raiders came through with a narrow victory, 25-20, in set one.

After losing the first set, IU Southeast tried to rally back. They kept the game close for the second set, but Lindsey Wilson continued to pull away with another victory.

In the third set, the Grenadiers gained a 3-0 lead early in the game. The team made several errors during the game, which led to the Blue Raiders scoring.

In spite of the simple mistakes, IU Southeast dominated this set and continued to hold onto its momentum. The Grenadiers came through with the win, 27-25.

The Grenadiers held on to the momentum boost,leading into the fourth set. Several kills were made against each team, and every mistake began to count.

Lindsey Wilson had multiple serving errors, which IU Southeast took advantage of. The third set was played at a much quicker pace than the previous sets, and tensions were high.

Drury-Prather called a timeout with the score standing at 23-19, with the Blue Raiders leading. After the time out, the Grenadiers rallied back to minimize the Blue Raider’s lead to one point.

The final serve belonged to Lindsey Wilson College. The Grenadiers returned the ball multiple times, before losing the final point to a communication error.

PJ Cockerell, senior middle blocker, she was satisfied with the game overall.

“That’s the hardest we’ve fought, so it was good to see that,” Cockerell said. “We know that we can, it’s just getting out there and doing it.”

Cockerell said the team does have a few things to improve on for future games.

“We have a hard time talking, so that was our main thing,” Cockerell said. “It’s just getting out there and communicating. There were a few balls that dropped between us, and there was lack of communication. That is our thing that we have to work on right now.”

Drury-Prather said she was disappointed with how the game ended, but, nevertheless, she is proud of her team.

“I hate that the result was what it was and that the last play was what it was,” Drury-Prather said. “But they played awesome, and I’m really, really proud of them. Usually, when the momentum changes, we just kind of go into our hole, and we don’t come out, and tonight was great. It was great for our girls to see that they can do it, and what it takes to do it.”

The Grenadiers current record stands at 8-7 . The women will look to improve their record with three upcoming matches during the week of Oct. 1. On Oct. 2, the Grenadiers will face off against Berea College at 7 p.m. in the Activities Building.

By KIM KERBY

Staff

kdkerby@ius.edu