FORT WAYNE, Ind. – IU Northwest opened play at the Liz Lykowski Tournament on Friday with a pair of hard-fought matches, falling 3-1 to Defiance College in the opener before dropping a straight-set decision to IU Southeast in the nightcap.
Game One: Defiance 3, IU Northwest 1
The RedHawks started strong against Defiance, rallying to take the second set 25-18 before ultimately falling 25-17, 18-25, 25-10, 25-16.
IU Northwest used a balanced attack, led by Lindsey Krueger's 10 kills and 9 digs, while Gabi Lilovich added 7 kills and a team-high four aces. Raniyah Preston chipped in 7 kills and 15 assists, often connecting with Lilovich in transition to spark runs.
After a tough opening set, the RedHawks stormed back in the second behind aggressive serving. Lilovich and Kaelan Murphy each delivered timely aces as IU Northwest built an early lead, and Julianna Kisel capped the set with a solo block.
Defiance regrouped in the third, taking control behind strong net play, while IU Northwest struggled to find rhythm offensively. In the fourth, Lilovich added back-to-back aces to take the lead 12-10, but Defiance pulled away to secure the match.
Game Two: IU Southeast 3, IU Northwest 0
In their second match of the day, IU Northwest fell 25-12, 25-19, 25-14 to IU Southeast.
Murphy was efficient with 5 kills on just eight swings, Lilovich tallied 3 kills and 7 assists, and libero Eva Everett anchored the defense with 11 digs.
IU Northwest grabbed a 5-2 lead in the opening set after a service error by IU Southeast, but the Grenadiers responded with a lengthy service run that shifted the momentum.
Set two saw IU Northwest's best push, highlighted by a kill from Preston and back-to-back defensive stops that cut the deficit to 15-13. Krueger's late swing from the outside brought the RedHawks within two, but IU Southeast closed the frame on a 5-2 run.
In the third, Murphy sparked a rally with a service ace and back-to-back kills to trim the margin to 7-6, but IU Southeast answered with another service run to pull away and finish the sweep.
IU Northwest (4-8) continues tournament play Saturday against host Indiana Tech, who is receiving votes in the national poll, at 11 a.m., followed by Lourdes University at 1 p.m.
