DEFIANCE, Ohio – Erica Packwood finished the first day of the Racer Yellow Jacket Classic with 24 kills and 15 assists, while Josephine Mulligan led the way with 42 assists in the Indiana University Northwest volleyball team's Friday split.
 
The RedHawks defeated Defiance in five (25-23, 25-20, 16-25, 20-25, 22-20), but fell to Ohio Christian in four sets (15-25, 25-21, 15-25, 23-25).
 
IUN is back in action Saturday afternoon as it takes on Brescia (Ky.) and host Northwestern Ohio at 1 and 3 p.m. in Lima, Ohio.
 
MATCH ONE
Late in the opening set, the Yellow Jackets were up 21-18, but following a DC service error, IUN shifted the momentum by using a 7-2 run. During the run, the RedHawks got kills from Baileigh Uporsky, Briah Strezo and Jaelyn Donald, along with block assists from Uporsky and Strezo.
 
During the second frame IUN was down 13-9, but a Mulligan kill ignited a 7-1 run, which put the RedHawks on top for the rest of the stanza.  
 
DC won the next two sets to force a decisive fifth game. IUN put itself up 10-3 after a Packwood ace in the fifth. The Yellow Jackets scored the next three points to make it 10-6, but the RedHawks responded with their own 3-0 spurt to inch closer to finishing up the match.
 
IUN got to match point following a DC 6-0 run, but the teams would trade points before the RedHawks closed out the contest on three consecutive kills by Donald and Strezo.
 
MATCH TWO
After IUN lost the opening stanza, the RedHawks bounced back in the second frame and built a 13-6 advantage after a Julianna Kisel and Packwood block. OCU though would tie it up at 19 before a Strezo kill started a set ending a 5-2 run.
 
In the third, the Trailblazers and RedHawks traded points and were tied at 14 following Kaelan Murphy's solo block. However, after the IUN block, OCU finished the stanza on an 11-1 run.
 
In the final set the RedHawks trailed by as much as five, but a Donald kill shifted the pendulum towards IUN. The RedHawks took the lead at 14-12 and used another run to go up 19-18. IUN though could not force a fifth stanza as OCU would close the match on a 7-4 run.