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Purdue Fort Wayne
3-0
Connecticut
1-2
Mastodons Topple Huskies to Win IPFW Hyatt Place Invite Title
8/31/2013 9:46:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BOX SCORE | BOX SCORE (.pdf) | BOX SCORE (.html) | PHOTO GALLERY
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The IPFW Mastodons went to 3-0 on the young season on Saturday evening, as the squad knocked off the Connecticut Huskies in the championship match of the IPFW Hyatt Place Invitational.
The Mastodons were led by Tournament MVP Emily Spencer who had 17 kills and 13 digs, while All-Tournament Team selection Katie Higginbotham added a dozen kills and eight digs. Sarah Heckman and Hailie Ripley each had nine kills, while Heckman had a match-high eight blocks. Jen Milligan, who was also named to the All-Tournament Team, picked up a career-high 24 digs, with Spencer and Spence chipping in 13 and 12, respectively.
Connecticut and IPFW traded the lead in the first set, the Huskies jumping out early before the Mastodons fought back and led for a large portion of the middle of the frame. With the Mastodons leading by two at 17-15, Connecticut went on a 7-2 run to lead by three at 22-19, and held on for a 25-22 win, giving IPFW its only set loss in the tournament.
?The Mastodons responded in a big way, jumping out to a 7-2 lead through the first nine points of the set, and never looked back. The 'Dons led by as many as 10 on two occasions, before settling on a nine-point, 25-16 set victory.
After the break between sets two and three, Connecticut was the first to lay claim on the third set, pushing to a three-point, 10-7 lead early in the period. With the Huskies ahead by one, IPFW ran off a 5-1 run, and later scored the final six points of the set to turn a 19-17 tightly contested set into a 25-17 Mastodon win.
UCONN led twice in the fourth set, at 4-3 and at 5-4 until IPFW pushed ahead, leading 10-7 and never trailed again in the match. The visitors cut their deficit to one on multiple occasions, including as late as 21-20; however, a 4-0 IPFW run to end the game closed the door on any comeback attempt.
Karson Ratliff knocked down a match-high 18 kills for the Huskies, while Jade Strawberry added 10 in the losing effort.
Strawberry and Erika Thomas of UCONN were joined on the All-Tournament team by Arielle Love of Duquesne, Hannah Kaminsky of Southern Illinois, and the Mastodon trio.
The 'Dons return to action on Wednesday, September 4 when the team travels to Muncie, Ind. to take on the Ball State Cardinals in a 7 p.m. first serve at Worthen Arena.
