Box Score Davenport, Iowa -- The Indiana University Northwest women's volleyball team suffered a tough defeat by the hands of Saint Ambrose in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference road match on Tuesday.
The Fighting Bees (6-13, 5-5 CCAC) defeated the RedHawks (11-4, 7-3 CCAC), 3-2, at the Lee Lohman Center Tuesday.
The set scores were 25-20, 21-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-12 in favor of SAU.
SAU led the first set 15-11 before IUN rallied for the next three points thanks to three kills, one by sophomore Emileishka De Jesus (Hobart, Ind./Portage) and back-to-back from Erica Kik (Griffith, Ind./Griffith) to make it 15-14. That was closest the set got as the Fighting Bees won it 25-21.
IUN looked to tie it at 1-1 in the second set. SAU led 11-8 early but thanks to a kill by senior Robyn Griffin (Downers Grove, Ill./Lisle Senior) off the assist from senior Cara Nebel (Portage, Ind./Portage) helped tie the match for the RedHawks.
Both teams would trade the next five points and be tied 16-all. The RedHawks rallied for five points in a row capped off by a service ace by freshman Bella Kuechenberg (Lowell, Ind./Bishop Noll) to make it 21-16.
IUN ended the match on a 9-4 run to win the second set 25-20. De Jesus capped off the victory with a kill.
With both teams tied at one set a piece both teams looked to take the advantage in the match. Both teams were trading early rallies then ended up tied 14-14 midway through the set.
The RedHawks went on a 6-1 run to pull ahead 20-15. IUN did not look back however SAU cut it to two to make it 21-19 but the RedHawks held them off and won the second set, 25-20 after Griffin ended the match.
The fourth set was competely different as the Fighting Bees marched out to a huge 10-4 early advantage. IUN tried to fight back after an assist by junior
Maddie Maatman (Beecher, Ill./Illiana Christian) led to a kill by freshman
Mary Markusic (Munster, Ind./Bishop Noll) to cut it to 19-14 but SAU pulled away and won the set 25-17.
It all came down to a final and fifth set for the winner to be decided here. The Fighting Bees used their momentum from winning the fourth set and had an early 5-1 advantage.
IUN did not go away as the RedHawks made a 6-2 run to cut it to two points after a kill by Kik but that was the closest they got the rest of the way.
However, the RedHawks tried to have a late rally after facing match point and scoring four points in a row to make it 14-12. The Fighting Bees sealed the deal on the next point.
Kik led the RedHawks on the attack for the night, recording 14 kills. De Jesus picked up her fourth straight double-double as the sophomore had 10 kills and 21 digs.
Junior Caitlin Alwine (Goshen, Ind.) led IUN on the defensive side of the ball, picking up 28 digs. Kuechenberg recorded 20 digs on the night.
Nebel helped the attackers all night for the RedHawks as the senior had 26 assists. Maatman recorded 17 assists during the match.
IUN returns to action Tuesday, October 15 as the RedHawks host a CCAC match against Judson starting at 7 p.m. CT.
