Women's Volleyball | 10/26/2024 1:32:15 AM

Story courtesy of Indiana University Kokomo Athletics

KOKOMO, Ind. - On Breast Cancer Awareness night inside the Student Activities & Events Center, the action on court was worth the price of admission. A talented Rio Grande program tested and pushed IU Kokomo, but the Cougars prevailed in four sets with the help of a loud home crowd.

The win is the Cougars 17th in a row, moving them to 24-4 overall and 11-0 in River States Conference play. The RedStorm entered the match 9-1 in conference action, good for second behind IUK in the league standings.

IU Kokomo was slow out of the gates, as Rio Grande led 8-5 before the Cougars seemed to come alive. The Cougs refused to settle for one point at a time however, utilizing two 5-0 runs and two 3-0 spurts to take a commanding 10-point lead late in set one. IUK won the opener 25-13.

Set two was controlled by the RedStorm, as they jumped out to a 6-0 lead before extending it to double-digits at 19-9. The Cougars trimmed the deficit to seven, but Rio earned a 25-16 second-set victory to even the match at a set apiece.

After a five-minute break between sets two and three, Rio did not seem to lose much footing, forcing an IUK timeout while leading 10-6.

Head coach Heather Hayes seemed to strike a chord in the timeout though, as slowly but surely the Cougars climbed their way back into the set. Trailing 18-15, IUK won four-consecutive points via three RedStorm attack errors and a Cali Cummings kill.

Rio Grande won the ensuing point to tie things up at 19, but IU Kokomo won six of the final seven points to win set three 25-20 in come-from-behind fashion.

Unlike sets two and three, IUK led early in the fourth, doubling the RedStorm up 10-5. The Cougs extended the lead back to six at 19-13 before Rio won four-straight points to pull within two and force an IUK timeout.

The RedStorm got within one on two occasions at the end of the set but were unable to pull even, as a Lexi Broyles kill capped off a 25-23 set win and four-set victory over a tough Rio Grande squad.

Lexi Broyles was dominant from start to finish Friday, flooring 15 kills on 29 attempts for an impressive hitting percentage of .448. Alexis Baney and Mya Grigsby each added eight kills, as Baney hit .429 on the night.

Each of the IU Kokomo setters finished with 18 assists, while Ellie Garland led the Cougar back row with 12 digs. Senior Julia Sanders added 10, as Grigsby tallied nine and Lyons totaled eight.