IU Kokomo wins KIAC Volleyball Tournament Championship

11/15/2015 12:00:00 AM

(By IU Kokomo Sports Information)

RIO GRANDE, Ohio – The Indiana University Kokomo volleyball team won the KIAC Tournament after back-to-back victories on Saturday. After defeating Indiana University Southeast 3-2 in the semifinals and Point Park University 3-1 in the finals, the Cougars have now become the first IU Kokomo team to win a KIAC Tournament championship.

Head coach Heather Hayes was thrilled by the success of her team at the conference tournament.

"Wow! I am so, so proud of our team," she said. "We fought from behind in both matches today against good teams. There was a lot of good volleyball played today. We showed great poise, perseverance and determination."

During the semifinal match against IU Southeast, the Cougars dropped the first two sets to the Grenadiers. IU Kokomo had to rally for a huge comeback in order to advance to the final match, but the Cougars were able to crush the third set with a score of 25-14. The third set gave the squad the momentum necessary to win the next two games and move on to the championship match.

Throughout the 20-25, 22-25, 25-14, 25-18, 15-10 semifinal match, Alexis Brickner (SO/Wabash, IN) led the Cougars in kills with 14 and had 2 blocks. Lindi Thomas (SO/Parker City, IN) had 21 digs, 8 kills, 4 blocks, and a pair of service aces. Kaleigh Ensley (JR/Fort Wayne, IN) had 33 digs, and Rachel Allen (SR/Lizton, IN) had 24. Cortney Hanson (SR/Logansport, IN) put in 22 digs and 20 assists. Casey Colgate (SO/Wanamaker, IN) put up 15 assists and 5 kills. Keeana Walton (JR/Peru, IN) had the most blocks for the Cougars with 7 and also added 6 kills.

Much like the semifinal match, the Cougars had to come from behind in the KIAC championship match in order to claim the tournament. The Pioneers were able to take the first set, but the Cougars were not easily defeated. IU Kokomo made a quick recovery after the initial set loss and was able to beat Point Park in the second set, 25-13. Once the match was tied 1-1, the Cougars and the Pioneers battled back and forth for points, but in the end, the Cougars were able to take the next two sets and the championship overall.

In the 14-25, 25-13, 25-17, 25-20 championship match, Walton led the Cougars in kills and blocks with 9 and 6, respectively. Nicole Sandmann (FR/West Harrison, IN) had 8 kills and 2 blocks. Thomas had 8 kills and 14 digs. Ensley put in 21 digs. Colgate added 17 digs and 15 assists. Hanson had the most assists with 18.

"We had three goals this season: to win the regular season, to win the conference tournament, and to make the national tournament. We have done all of that," said coach Hayes. "It has been a great ride this season. We are grateful for the opportunity to extend our season and are excited to compete next weekend in the national tournament. It is a good day for our program."

IU Kokomo is now 34-4 overall for the season. The Cougars will advance to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round on Saturday, November 21. IU Kokomo's opponent and the location of the match are still to be announced.

We had the most amazing fan group travel to the tournament," said Hayes. "We had the largest crowd of anyone. There is no doubt that their supported was a great help for our team this weekend. Thank you to all our fans who made the trip!"

Point Park's run to the finals earned the Pioneers the KIAC's second automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship. Since IU Kokomo won both the KIAC regular season and tournament titles, the tournament runner-up received the second national bid from the conference.

The Pioneers, the No. 3 seed, beat No. 2 IU East, 3-2, in the semifinals to reach the championship round. Point Park's Megan Branchick had 34 kills in the semifinals and another 17 kills in the finals to power the Pioneers.

The NAIA Volleyball National Championship Selection Show will unveil the pairings on Monday, Nov. 16 at 11 a.m. ET at NAIANetwork.com.

Follow KIAC Volleyball online at KIACSports.com, on Twitter @KIACSports and hashtag #KIACVolleyball and on Facebook.com/KIACSports.