INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—The Truman Volleyball team took on Wayne State looking to take home a winning record out of their three matches of the regional tournament after splitting their two matches on Friday. But Wayne proved too much for Truman, and Wayne took the match 3-1 (25-19, 25-21, 19-25, 25-23).
The first set began tight with Wayne holding a slim 4-3 lead. But a 7-2 run for Wayne gave them an 11-5 edge, forcing a Truman timeout. Coming out of the timeout Jocelynn Livingston got her first kill of the match and Meghan Gasper picked up an ace. Truman would fight back to tie the set at 17, but Wayne closed the set on an 8-2 run to win the set 25-19.
Early in the second set, kills from Ambria Whitlock and Morgan Smith helped Truman jump out to a 6-4 lead. But Truman could not hold the lead, as Wayne took it back. Truman would fight back to tie the set at 11 but from there Wayne took control. Wayne built a lead as many as five, but at 19-14 Truman had one last run in them. From there Ellie Kaat started a 5-2 run for Truman to bring them within two at 21-19. But coming out of the timeout Wayne would finish the set off 25-21.
In the third set the teams went back and forth, splitting the first 14 points. From a 7-7 deadlock, Truman went on a 6-2 run which included back to back kills from Kaat and one from Elise Hardesty to take a 13-9 lead. Truman's lead would swell to as many as eight at 20-12 later in the set and the Bulldogs rode a .240 hitting percentage and 16 kills to a 25-19 win in the set.
Much like the third set, neither team gained an edge early on as the first 12 points were split evenly. A 6-2 Truman spurt prompted a Wayne timeout. After a kill from Smith made it 14-10, Wayne went on a 5-0 run to take the lead and they would not give it up the rest of the set. Smith tied it with a kill on the following play but Wayne would lead the rest of the way in a seesawing set to win 25-23 and take the match.
Kaat led the team in kills with 15, Smith finished with 14 kills and had a tournament total of 51—4.64 per set was sixth best in the tournament. Lauren Wacker led with 30 digs, and finished the tournament with 71. Her mark of 5.92 digs per set was third highest of all players in the tournament.
The team will go to Southern Missouri for games against conference leading Drury and Southwest Baptist next Friday and Saturday, respectively, matches starting at 7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday.
