DUBUQUE, Iowa — Indiana University Northwest volleyball opened play at the Clarke Pride Tournament with a dominant performance Friday, sweeping Huston-Tillotson 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-14) to improve to 2-0 on the season.
The RedHawks trailed early in the first set as Huston-Tillotson built a five-point cushion behind Lindsey Morris and Hayley Broussard, but Amie Schutz and Gabi Lilovich helped IU Northwest chip away, trading points down the stretch. Kaelan Murphy delivered a service ace to push the lead to 18-22, and Raniyah Preston closed the set with a kill and an ace of her own as the RedHawks pulled away late for the 25-22 win.
IU Northwest carried that late momentum straight into the second set. Lilovich and Raniyah Preston combined to keep the offense humming, while Schutz strung together back-to-back service aces to open a 5-9 cushion. Huston-Tillotson called a timeout to try to slow the RedHawks down, but Murphy answered with a kill and an ace of her own to keep the pressure on. Schutz put the finishing touches on the set with a pair of aces and a kill, and IU Northwest cruised to a 25-14 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set opened close, with Huston-Tillotson grabbing an early edge before IU Northwest found its rhythm. Murphy and Lilovich strung together kills to flip the set in the RedHawks' favor, and Preston took over from there, piling up kills and three straight service aces to blow the set open. Schutz capped the win with a kill and a service ace, sealing the sweep with a 25-14 finish.
Amie Schutz led the RedHawks with 10 kills and five service aces, finishing with a match-high 16.0 points. Gabi Lilovich hit .444 with nine kills to go with 13 assists, while Raniyah Preston recorded 12 assists, six kills, five aces and 11 digs. Kaelan Murphy added six kills, and Brooklyn Perry hit .556 on the night with five kills.
IU Northwest returns to action Saturday, Aug. 29 at 11 a.m. for Day 2 of the Clarke Pride Tournament, facing Waldorf (Iowa).
