Sycamores show fight, fall to Jackrabbits in four sets - Indiana State University Athletics (2024)

• Box Score

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | August 31, 2024 | Kieran Intemann | GoSycamores.com

ATLANTA – Curry Kendall led Indiana State with 14 kills Saturday morning and Emma Kaelin added 13, but South Dakota state overcame a pesky Sycamore squad in a four-set defeat for the Trees (25-21, 19-25, 25-14, 25-21) to close the GSU Invitational.

Kaelin also added 12 digs for her first double-double of the season, while Emily Weber dished out 32 assists for the Sycamores. Kendall hit .273 for the Trees, while three different Sycamores served up multiple aces.

Kills from Kaelin and Ella Scott, along with a Chloe Gilley service ace, kept things tied early in the first set. Scott and Kendall heated up with five kills in an eight-point span between the two, helping the Trees take an 11-9 lead. Kaelin and Scott sent the Sycamores to the media timeout with a two-point lead following kills, but the Jackrabbits battled back. South Dakota State used a 6-1 run to take control of the set and, despite three late kills from Kaelin, claimed the opening frame 25-21.

South Dakota State jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the second set, but the Sycamores clawed their way back. Kills from Kaelin and Weber got things going for the Blue and White, with the former adding a pair of aces to even the score at nine-apiece. Indiana State took advantage of errors from the opposition, while a kill from Kendall and an ace from Weber gave the Trees a 15-11 lead. The Sycamores tacked on to their lead with kills by Kaelin and Scott, and an ace from Macy Lengacher put the Trees on the brink of tying the match. Kendall finished off the second set with a kill, as the Sycamores claimed the set 25-19 to knot things up.

Indiana State got off to a slow start in the third set and never fully recovered. South Dakota State raced out to an 11-2 lead, with the Sycamores' only points in that span coming on service errors. Consecutive kills from Kaelin, along with kills from both Kendall and Avery Hales, gave the Trees a spark, but an 8-1 Jackrabbit scoring run followed to essentially put the set out of reach. Indiana State never backed down, with aces from both Chloe Gilley and Emmy Sher and kills from Kaelin and Scott keeping the Sycamores alive. South Dakota State closed out the set with back-to-back points, though, claiming the third 25-14.

Kendall kept the pressure up for the Sycamores with a pair of early fourth-set kills, and Hannah Baudin tacked on a pair of kills to give the Trees a 6-5 lead. Kills from Scott and Weber, along with a Weber service ace, kept things knotted up midway through the set. Kaelin and Scott added kills, while Chloe Gilley served up an ace as the Trees and Jackrabbits went back-and-forth in the later stages of the set. A 5-1 run for South Dakota State proved to be the difference, though, as the Jackrabbits closed out the match by taking the fourth set 25-21.

News and Notes

• Emma Kaelin registered the first double-double by an Indiana State player this season with 13 kills and 12 digs.
• Indiana State recorded double-digit service aces for the second time in its first three matches. Three different Sycamores –Chloe Gilley, Emma Kaelin and Emily Weber – had multiple aces in Saturday's match.
• Indiana State outdug South Dakota State 47-42 and had more digs than its opponent in two of the three matches at the GSU Invitational. Chloe Gilley had a match-high 14 digs for the Sycamores.
• Indiana State hit better than its 2023 season average in all three matches of the GSU Invitational.
• Indiana State went 1-2 in its season-opening weekend for the second straight year.
• Saturday's meeting was the first-ever contest between Indiana State and South Dakota State.
• Indiana State played this weekend without reigning MVC Freshman of the Year Kira Holland due to injury.

Up Next
Indiana State returns to the Hoosier State for a home-and-home series with Butler, starting Friday at 7 p.m. inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.

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