Mastodons Dropped by Grizzlies in Four

Friday, October 29

Rochester, Mich.

7:00 PM

Purdue Fort Wayne

17-9, 11-3Summit

Oakland

14-12, 9-5Summit

IPFW

Oakland

Alli Hook had a career-high 14 kills in IPFW's loss to the Oakland Grizzlies

10/29/2010 8:57:59 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BOX SCORE

Rochester, MI - IPFW saw its 10-match win streak, and the 17-match streak over Oakland, snapped on Friday night, as the Grizzlies topped the Mastodons in four sets 25-22, 25-19, 14-25, 25-22.

The loss came despite a career-high kill effort from junior Alli Hook who had 14 kills, with teammate Maya Schlindwein adding 14 of her own to run her double-figure kill streak to 17 consecutive matches, one shy of tying for fourth place on the all-time list. Tessa McGill and Taryn Parker each had eight kills, with Stephanie Lamberti chipping in seven.

Megan Steenhuysen dished out 49 assists, with four players picking up double-figure digs. Freshman Jen Milligan had a team-best 18 digs, with Lamberti adding 14. McGill and Steenhuysen each had 10 digs, the latter giving her the 14th double-double of the season, the 12th most in a single season in school history. Parker had four blocks to pace the 'Dons, as Steenhuysen and Hook each had three.

The Mastodons fall into a two-way tie for first place in the league standings with North Dakota State, each at 11-3 on the season, and at 17-9 overall. Oakland improves to 14-12 on the year, and 9-5 in league play, moving within a half game of Southern Utah for third place in the league standings.

IPFW jumped ahead early, leading by three as late as 8-5 before Oakland went on a run to to lead by two at 12-10. The lead changed hands two more times before the hosts took a 17-17 score and scored two straight to take a two-point lead, one that they would not give up for the remainder of the set, scoring the final two-points to take the win in the 25-22 opening-set.

The second set saw Oakland jump ahead 4-1 at the start, and never trail for the entirety of the frame, with the Mastodons only getting to within three late in the set, a 25-19 Grizzly win.

Oakland came out of intermission firing, jumping ahead 2-1 early, before IPFW rattled off three consecutive points to lead 4-2. The Grizzlies fought back to lead 8-7 ran off six consecutive points to lead 13-9, an advantage the team would not give up. IPFW used runs of 5-0 and 4-0 to run away with the third set 25-14.

The fourth and eventual final set saw the teams tied six times through an 8-8 score before the hosts jumped ahead by three at 13-10. Oakland would not give back the lead, despite seeing their margin trimmed to just one at 20-19. Leading by just one, the Grizzlies got back-to-back blocks and a subsequent kill to lead 23-19.

IPFW scored three straight points including a Hook block and a Schlindwein kill to cut the deficit once again to the slimmest of margins, but an untimely service error, and an Ashley Nevelle and Brittany Holbrook combo block, closed the door on the Mastodon chances at a comeback in the 25-22 fourth set win.

Oakland was led by Meghan Bray who had a match-high 17 kills, as Lange and Allison Bell had 15 and 11, each. Brittany Dunn had a match-high 24 digs while Lange had a match-high six blocks.

IPFW next hosts its next two games, bringing Western Illinois and IUPUI into the Hilliard Gates Sports Center on November 5 and 6.

~Dons~