The IUS volleyball team played the Cincinnati Christian University Eagles on Oct. 23. This is their second time playing the Eagles this season. In the match-up earlier this season, the Grenadiers fell in four sets.
The first set started with Stephanie Bradshaw, sophomore defense specialist, serving the ball. The score in the first set stayed pretty close by a difference of about three points. The Eagles called two timeouts during this match.
Jade Troutman, junior middle backer, blocked two hits during this match. Then, Coral Maybrier, freshman outside hitter, served out the set, causing the Eagles to fall 25-15.
“They fought back in this game,” Katie Tinsley, IUS assistant volleyball coach, said.
The Eagles took lead of the second set by serving for the first points. Morgan Mosley, freshman setter for the Eagles, added four points to the Eagles’ lead during the beginning of the set. The Grenadiers struggled with serving and keeping the ball in the court.
Going for a kill, Sara Schum, sophomore middle back, connected the ball to the face of Eagles’ Mackenzie Fordyce’s, junior outside hitter.
This did not stop Fordyce from playing, and she remained in the game. The Grenadiers came back with a five-point lead and won the second match 25-19.
“I knew IUS was on a roll,” Rick Kerkhoff, Eagles head volleyball coach, said. “They were playing a lot better than when we played them earlier in the season. We were prepared today, but we didn’t play.”
Troutman led the Grenadiers in kills, with six in the third set and a total of 11 kills for the game. The Eagles led the third set as they fought back by making more kills and returns during this match. The Eagles took a lead of seven points during this match.
“I had doubts,” Tinsley said. “When they usually get down like that, they get their head down, but they didn’t give up, and, instead of giving up and playing them in fourth set, they came back and played strong in the third set.”
Tinsley said Troutman lead the comeback in the third set and was the go-to-girl.
“We fought back by seven points,” Troutman said. “We were down 17 to 10, and we stuck together for the win.”
By JEREMY EILER
Staff
jreiler@ius.edu
