IU East captures 2017 RSC Volleyball Tournament championship
By IU East Sports Information
RICHMOND, Ind. - The Red Wolves defended their home turf, and the reward was a conference tournament championship.
The Indiana University East volleyball team won the River States Conference Tournament title with a 19-25, 26-24, 18-25, 25-21, 15-11 win against Indiana University Kokomo in the tournament championship game Nov. 11 on Lingle Court.
The Red Wolves also earned a spot in the NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round, which begins Nov. 18 at campus sites around the nation.
IU East (21-18) had earned the right to host the conference tournament by winning the River States Conference East Division title.
IU Kokomo (30-9) had won 24 matches in a row, including a perfect regular season run through conference play.
KEY MOMENTS
* IU East finished the match with a 5-1 run that included a Bree Kopke kill, two blocks and a Taylor McKinney ace on match point.
* The Red Wolves avoided a potential early knockout by winning a topsy-turvy second set. IU East led 23-19, then had to save a set point at 24-23 before closing out the set.
* A timely 5-0 spurt midway through the fourth set gave the Red Wolves a 17-11 lead they would not relinquish.
* IU East advanced to the championship match with a 23-25, 25-19, 26-24, 25-20 morning semifinal win against WVU Tech. The Red Wolves erased two set points in the pivotal third set.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
* It's the fifth River States Conference tournament championship for IU East, and the first since 2012.
* IU East will make its sixth appearance in the NAIA Volleyball National Championship.
* IU East now has eight 20-win seasons in the last nine years.
* The Red Wolves have won 18 of their last 25 matches, including eight of their last nine.
* Four IU East players reached double-digits in digs in the championship match.
* IU East's 18-6 advantage in blocks was key in the WVU Tech match. Sophie Rogers had a hand in a season-high 11 blocks.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
"Best birthday ever! This is awesome. I really love how my teammates and I worked. We knew (IU Kokomo) was a veteran team, that they were going to come out and be scrappy, but we fought hard for this and fought hard to win this. Especially with this tournament being on our home court, we really wanted to show what this program is all about." - Bree Kopke, who turned 20 on Nov. 11.
"Our girls learned how to handle those rougher points in the game and come together (over the course of the season). They kept their composure - that was our word the last couple of weeks, composure."
"I'm so proud of these girls. This was always their goal, so I'm really proud that they got to this point and took it." - IU East coach Abby Niekamp
UP NEXT
The pairings for the NAIA Volleyball National Championship will be announced Nov. 13. Opening Round games are played Nov. 18.