GARY, Ind. — Indiana University Northwest volleyball remained undefeated in conference play Tuesday night, sweeping Judson (Ill.) 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-19) at home to improve to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in CCAC play.
The RedHawks and Cougars traded points early in the first set, with Amie Schutz and Gabi Lilovich answering every Judson push to keep IU Northwest in front. Judson battled back to pull within one at 11-13, but the RedHawks pulled away behind a decisive run from Schutz — a stretch that included two service aces and a pair of kills — to blow the set open and cruise to a 25-18 win.
IU Northwest carried that momentum straight into the second set, jumping out to an early cushion behind Lindsey Krueger and Raniyah Preston. Schutz again took over in the middle of the set, stringing together kills and forcing Judson attack errors to push the lead into double digits. The RedHawks closed it out comfortably, 25-13, to take a 2-0 match lead.
Judson made things interesting in the third, with Alyssa Burke firing off three straight service aces to briefly tie the set at 15-15. But IU Northwest answered with a run of its own, getting kills from Brooklyn Perry and Krueger and a service ace from Eva Everett to seize back control. Trinitie Lintner and Schutz finished the job late, and the RedHawks closed out the sweep with a 25-19 win.
Schutz led all players with 12 kills on .370 hitting and a team-high 15.0 points. Krueger added nine kills on .364 hitting for 10.0 points, while Lintner hit .500 with six kills and four assisted blocks. Lilovich directed the offense with 13 assists, and Preston chipped in 15 assists and two service aces.
IU Northwest stays home for its next test, hosting Calumet College of St. Joseph on Thursday, Sept. 10, with first serve set for 7 p.m.
