KOKOMO, Ind.- The date was Friday, October 28, 2022.
The Red Wolves of Indiana University East earned a four-set victory over the Cougars of Indiana University Kokomo in Richmond. That match marked the last time any RSC opponent took a match from the six-time defending River States Conference champions.
Until Saturday afternoon.
The Red Wolves ended IU Kokomo's 47 match winning streak against RSC opponents, and claimed the 2024 River States Conference Women's Volleyball Tournament championship with a five-set victory, 25-22, 20-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-13 over the hosts from IU Kokomo. The IU East win also ended a 57 match home winning streak against RSC opponents for the Cougars.
One of those wins for the Cougars came in the RSC title match last season against the Red Wolves, and IU East head coach Kim McConaha said the Red Wolves were determined to flip the script.
"This team has been on a mission since we finished our season last year," McConaha said. "The squad is making history, and we aren't finished."
The Red Wolves grabbed early momentum in the match with a 25-22 victory, but found themselves on the brink of a second straight title game loss after Kokomo wins of 25-20 and 25-23 in the second and third sets, respectively. Kokomo then moved just seven points away from the conference title, taking a 18-16 lead in the fourth set.
That's when the Red Wolves flipped the script.
East stormed back, winning nine of the final eleven points in the fourth set to send the match to a fifth.
Former River States Conference Player of the Year and NAIA All-American Jessica Swimm said the Red Wolves were able to find a second gear late in the match, and played their best volleyball of the season at the perfect time.
"Our determination has been insane," Swimm said. "We've been working to play our best volleyball at the end of the season. After flipping our energy today back to play like us, this is exactly what we knew we could do. Only fighting harder from here on out."
The Red Wolves never trailed in the fifth and final set, but still needed to come up big in the closing moments of the match. After Kokomo rallied to tie the score at 13, a pair of All-Conference selections in Teah Barrett Matthews and Jessica Swimm logged back-to-back kills to spark a celebration seven years in the making for the Red Wolves.
"This whole season we have been working towards one goal, and today was another step into that direction," said Barrett Matthews, who led the Cougars with 17 kills. "We played with a lot of heart and power and it paid off in the end. We plan to bring the same energy and power to the opening round."
Both IU East, as tournament champion, and IU Kokomo as regular season champion, earn automatic bids to the NAIA Tournament. The postseason fates for both the Red Wolves and Cougars will be announced at 1:00 p.m. eastern on Monday.