DUBUQUE, Iowa — Indiana University Northwest volleyball split a pair of five-set battles Saturday on Day 2 of the Clarke Pride Tournament, falling to unbeaten Waldorf (Iowa) in the morning session before rallying past host Clarke (Iowa) in the afternoon to close out tournament play at 3-1 on the season.
Game 1: Waldorf edges RedHawks in five
Waldorf came out hot in the opening set, using kills from Emily Goodner and Peyton Klooster to build a five-point cushion, and although Amie Schutz and Gabi Lilovich answered with kills of their own late, the RedHawks couldn't close the gap, dropping the set 25-21.
IU Northwest flipped the script in the second, riding a big night from Lilovich, who capped the set with four straight service aces to help the RedHawks blow it open, 25-13. Schutz and Kaelan Murphy kept the pressure on throughout, trading kills that never let Waldorf back in.
The third set turned into a marathon. Waldorf built an early lead behind Klooster and Goodner, but the RedHawks clawed back, with Murphy and Lilovich stringing together kills to force extra points. Reinya Balderson answered with a string of Waldorf service points late, but Schutz and Lilovich kept finding kills to push IU Northwest over the top, 27-25, for a 2-1 match lead.
Waldorf answered in the fourth, with Balderson serving a stretch of aces and Klooster adding key kills to erase an early RedHawks cushion. Murphy kept IU Northwest within reach late, but the RedHawks couldn't hold on, falling 26-24 to force a decisive fifth set.
Waldorf carried the momentum into the finale, jumping ahead behind Goodner and never letting go, closing out the match with a 15-9 win in the fifth to hand IU Northwest its first loss of the season.
Schutz led the RedHawks with 20 kills and a team-high 23.0 points, while Lilovich added 12 kills, seven service aces and 27 assists. Raniyah Preston chipped in nine kills, 29 assists and 15 digs, and Murphy finished with 10 kills.
Game 2: RedHawks rally past Clarke in five
IU Northwest opened flat against the host Panthers, falling behind early as Kortney Harms and Keely Colyer combined for a run of kills, and despite a late push from Schutz, the RedHawks dropped the first set 25-17.
The RedHawks regrouped in the second, with Lilovich and Schutz trading kills to build an edge, and Preston closed the set with back-to-back service aces to help IU Northwest even the match at 25-23.
Clarke answered in the third, with Jaxcyn Berntgen setting up a string of Panther kills to seize control, and IU Northwest couldn't recover in time, dropping the set 25-22 to fall behind 2-1.
The RedHawks came right back in the fourth. Preston opened the set with a kill, a service ace and more, helping IU Northwest race out to an early cushion, and although Clarke chipped away behind Berntgen and Colyer late, Schutz and Lilovich answered down the stretch to close out a 25-23 win and force a fifth set.
IU Northwest took over in the decider. Murphy caught fire with a personal run of kills and aces to help the RedHawks build an early 8-1 lead, and despite a late charge from Clarke behind Colyer and Berntgen, IU Northwest held on for a 15-12 win to take the match, 3-2.
Schutz again paced the RedHawks with 20 kills and a match-high 21.0 points, while Lilovich added 12 kills and 21 assists. Murphy finished with 12 kills and 15.0 points, and Preston recorded nine kills, 29 assists and 14.0 points.
IU Northwest now turns its attention to conference play, with the RedHawks set to open on the road Sept. 3 against Saint Xavier in Chicago. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
