Bourbonnais, Ill. -- The Indiana University Northwest volleyball team almost came back all the way from down two sets to zero by tying the match but unfortunately Olivet Nazarene won the fifth and deciding set to win the match. 

The Tigers (13-9, 10-2 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) defeated the RedHawks (12-7, 7-6 CCAC) in five sets, 25-17, 25-21, 24-26, 20-25, 15-6, at McHie Arena Tuesday.

ONU took the first set, 25-17. The Tigers jumped out to an early 7-1 lead early on in the set. 

IUN made a 4-2 run to make it 9-5 after a kill by Erica Kik (Griffith, Ind.). That was the closest the RedHawks got as the Tigers won 25-17.

The Tigers led 6-4 in the early going in the second set looking to take a 2-0 lead. The Redhawks scored four points in a row for a 8-6 lead. 

After ONU had short leads, Emilieshka De Jesus (Hobart, Ind./Portage) tied the match at 15-all and 16-all. IUN led 20-19 late in the second set but ONU scored the next five points to have control 24-20.

Mary Markusic (Munster, Ind./Bishop Noll) ended that run with a kill. However, on the next play the Tigers ended the set to win 25-21.

This time it was the RedHawks who jumped out to an early lead trying to keep the match alive after De Jesus made it 8-1 with a kill. IUN jumped out to their biggest lead of the set after going ahead 15-4 after an ONU service error.

Scoring the next five points were the Tigers who looked to get back in the match and made the score 15-9. Markusic ended that run after picking up a huge kill. 

Bella Kuechenberg (Lowell, Ind./Bishop Noll) put IUN on cusp of set point after picking up a kill to make it 24-20. ONU made one last push after scoring four in a row to tie the match at 24.

Kuechenberg put the RedHawks ahead 25-24 with her kill. ONU had a bad set which allowed IUN to win the third set, 26-24.

An early 10-6 lead for the Tigers had them looking to end the match. The RedHawks had other plans scoring the five points capped off by a kill by Kila Stoudt (Eaton Rapids, Mich./Eaton Rapids) to give IUN a 11-10 lead. 

Both teams traded points to be close to one another. The score was tied 20-all and this time it was IUN who made a run late scoring five unanswered points capped off by a kill by Kuechenberg to win the set, 25-20, to tie the match at two sets a piece. 

The score was tied two sets a piece with the winner of the fifth set winning the match. It looked like IUN had all the momentum but ONU jumped out to a 9-2 lead early on.

Kuechenberg tried to get IUN back in the match after her kill made it 11-5 ONU. Robyn Griffin (Downers Grove, Ill./Lisle Senior) also picked up a kill late but it was the Tigers who came out on top, 15-6. 

Kuechenberg led the RedHawks with a double-double, recording 13 kills and 15 digs. De Jesus also had a double-double, picking up 10 kills and 14 digs. 

Kik had a huge night as well on the attack with 12 kills. Alwine had an impressive night on defense with 23 digs.

IUN returns to action Tuesday, October 29 as the RedHawks host Saint Xavier at the Savannah Center starting at 7 p.m. CT.