IU Indianapolis (5-6) swept the Butler Bulldogs (6-4) on Wednesday in the team's last match before the Ball State Invitational. The team took the sets at 25-21, 28-26 and 25-18 with energy and competitiveness.
The Jaguars had a strong end to the first set, and it was a significant offensive outing for the team. IU Indy was able to garner a 4-0 run at the end of the set, distancing themselves from the Bulldogs.
The second set was very competitive, playing past 25 points. Neither team was able to distance themselves from their opponent by more than two points. The set ended after a serving error for Butler after coming out of a timeout. The Jaguars won the set 28-26.
"I was asking my assistant coach a couple of times because they had a set point or two in there," said Andrew Kroger, Jaguars head coach. "Do you think we need a timeout? I just had a lot of trust in our group. I love that our veteran leaders, our group, put us in a good spot where our strategy was that we were gonna keep playing, and I liked our chances, and so that's what we did, and it worked out."
The third set was, again, a strong showing for the Jaguars. The team gained a 10-5 advantage early. However, the Bulldogs came out of a timeout and responded by bridging that Jaguar lead to only one point. IU Indy responded, finishing the set and the match strong with two straight service aces.
The environment at the match added to the overall competitive feel of the game, with different back-and-forth chants from both the Butler and IU Indy fans.
"It was great having a great crowd," Kroger said. "It was fun, Butler had a great crowd too, and that made the whole atmosphere great."
The Jaguars had 40 kills at a .349 hitting percentage, while the Bulldogs had 45 kills at a .277 hitting percentage. IU Indy had eight service aces, while Butler had zero. The Jaguars were led by Jillian Tippmann, an opposite, who had 16 kills, three service aces and 21 points, and Grace Purichia, the setter, with 36 assists and three service aces.
This brought IU Indy's overall record to 5-6 and its home record to 3-0. The team opened the Ball State Invitational on Friday, falling to Northwestern (7-4) in straight sets, 25-20, 25-20 and 25-23, to move to 5-7. The Jaguars will face Ball State (8-2) on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Jocelyn Quintana is a junior majoring in communication studies and psychology. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing piano and following her favorite basketball, baseball and soccer teams.
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