Mulligan picks up career milestone, RedHawks split
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Josephine Mulligan surpassed 1,000 assists in her career, while Erica Packwood finished the first day of the OnSet Tournament with 22 kills, 23 assists and 40 digs for the Indiana University Northwest volleyball team Thursday evening.
The RedHawks, who go into Friday with a 4-2 record defeated Lawrence Tech (18-25, 29-27, 25-23, 25-27, 15-12) in five and fell to Spring Arbor in four (25-23, 17-25, 19-25, 7-25) to finish the first day.
On Friday, the RedHawks begin action at 12:15 p.m. against IU Southeast in the Fort Wayne Memorial Coliseum, and then complete the day at 4:45 against Columbia International.
MATCH ONE
After losing the opening set, IUN rebounded to win the next two stanzas, which includes late come backs in the second and third frame.
In the second, the RedHawks were down 24-20, but a pair of unforced errors shifted momentum IUN’s way. Mulligan hammered down a kill to make it a 24-23 ballgame, and then a Jaelyn Donald point tied the set at 25.
The RedHawks got to set point on another Mulligan kill and then IUN evened the contest up on Mulligan’s only ace of the first match.
IUN was down 22-20 during third frame action, but a Karly Jevert kill jump started a 5-1 RedHawks set ending run, which includes two Eva Everett aces and two Packwood kills.
A fourth set LTU win, forced a fifth set tie breaker. The Blue Devils scored the first point, but after a Briah Strezo ace to put the RedHawks on top 2-1 IUN never looked back. The RedHawks eventually went up by as much as seven before holding on for the three-point victory.
MATCH TWO
To begin the nightcap Kaelan Murphy gave the RedHawks an eight-point lead (18-10) on her eleventh ace of the season. SAU, however, would go on a 12-3 run before IUN finished the opener by scoring the final three points on unforced errors to take the win.
The RedHawks stayed close in the second and third stanza, but SAU again used long runs including a 14-1 swing that was halted on a Packwood kill during the third frame. The point by Packwood began a 9-1 run that got the RedHawks to within five (23-18), but that was as close as IUN would get.
In the final set, the RedHawks could not get their offense going as SAU jumped out to an 18-5 lead, and the Cougars would only allow IUN two more points.