After tying the match by winning the second set, the IU Indianapolis Jaguars (2-3) opened the third set on an 8-0 run. They led by seven or eight points through the middle of the set before the margin shrank to five at 22-17. Marshall then scored eight straight points to take the set 25-22 and a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Marshall Thundering Herd (4-1) played at a fast tempo in the opener and attacked relentlessly, but the set stayed close: the Jaguars led 10-8 and the teams were tied at 15. Marshall then scored nine of the next 10 points to pull away and won it 25-18. The Herd hit .407 in the set with 13 kills, 3 aces and 5 blocks, while IU Indy committed 8 attack errors and hit .114.
"We knew that Marshall is really, really good on offense," head coach Andrew Kroger said after the match. "Our goal was to attack them and make sure they were feeling uncomfortable. I think that's where we fell short. When we were serving at them, they were in system and passing the ball well and that allowed them to run the offense that they wanted to run. I think we came out just a little too conservative and without attacking them."
The Jaguars found something in the second set. It was another closely contested set, but they created separation while trailing 10-9, reeling off six straight points on three Bailey Sinish kills, a Grace Purichia ace, a block and a Marshall setting error. IU Indy's hitting percentage climbed to .389 in the second set from .114 in the first, and the Jaguars took the set 25-20 to tie the match.
"Maia Long came in set 2 and it made a big difference," Kroger said. "She did a great job in services. She's somebody that came in her freshman year and wasn't being a passer at the high school level. And so she's worked on that for four years and gotten better at that part of the game. So she came in, stabilized things a lot for us. And then Chloe Macias also came in and provided a big spark for us. I think when we made a couple of plays, that allowed us to have a little bit more confidence and we were attacking Marshall better."
Senior outside hitter Maia Long and sophomore middle blocker Chloe Macias carried that impact through much of the third set as well. Long finished with 9 kills and 3 digs in three sets while hitting .533, second on the team behind Macias, who added 4 kills on a team-best .800.
Down 2-1 entering the fourth set, IU Indy trailed 11-6 before battling back to tie it 12-12. The rest of the set was a dogfight, with the teams trading points and neither pulling away, until a 24-24 tie. The Jaguars had a chance to force a fifth set, but a service error and a Marshall point ended it 26-24.
While the final score suggested a one-sided night, IU Indy was in the match for three of the four sets. The Jaguars recorded three more kills than Marshall, 62 to 59, and had only two fewer service aces. Much of that firepower came from sophomore opposite Jillian Tippmann, who led all players with 21 kills and added a team-high 13 digs, and freshman outside hitter Bailey Sinish, who had 17 kills on .424 hitting. Setter Grace Purichia distributed 48 assists.
"They are just in a really good rhythm with our setter right now," Kroger said. "It's great that we know we have those two pieces and now can we get better at that other stuff. We know that's really good. And so it's got our middle a couple more kills. So, it's nice to have that and knowing we have that in our back pocket all the time. But we have got to work on the stuff around that."
After sweeping its home opener the previous night, IU Indy enters the final match of the Hampton Inn Invitational at 1-1 in the event. The Jaguars face Akron (1-4) at 3 p.m. Saturday. Akron was swept by Marshall in its tournament opener.
"We certainly knew Marshall was a good team," Kroger said. "We swept Ohio yesterday, Ohio beat Marshall last Saturday. I think this really goes to show that every team we play this season is really good and we have to really be on our A game to find wins. So, Akron lost to these guys (Marshall) yesterday, but I really do think they have some pieces that tomorrow, if we don't come out and we aren't really on our A game, Akron's gonna be a tough team to beat too."
Rudraksh Kikani is a graduate student in the Sports Capital Journalism Program. He enjoys watching motorsports, basketball, football and reading books in his free time.
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