MEMPHIS, TENN. ?
For the third time at the Tiger Invitational, the Indiana State University Sycamores found themselves down 2-0 after the first two sets, coming back to win the third set.
In the previous two matches on Friday in Memphis, the Sycamores forced a fifth set by winning the third and fourth sets, defeating Troy 3-2 in their first match but then losing to Iona 2-3 in the second match.
Against the Memphis Tigers, the Sycamores would not get to a fifth set. The Tigers won the first two sets 25-18 and 25-16 and then held off Indiana State in the fourth set 25-20 to earn the match win. The Sycamores had won the third set 25-21.
The loss drops the Sycamores to 4-4 on the season with one more match to be played in the Tiger Invitational. The Sycamores will face off against the IUPUI Jaguars at 5:30 p.m. today.
Sycamore junior Whitney Fromm had 40 set assist, six digs and a kill to lead Indiana State. Juniors Kelli Whitaker and Jodi Stoker had 12 kills each while senior Kristy Cox had 20 digs in the match.
The Sycamores scored the first point of the first set on a Sarah Agnich kill but the two teams traded points with the set tied four times in the early going. The Tigers took the lead for good at 7-6 and had an 11-7 lead before the Sycamores came back to trail 16-15 after a Stoker kill. Memphis was able to dominate down the stretch, outscoring ISU 9-3 to post the 25-18 win.
In the second set, Memphis scored the first three points of the set with the Sycamores rallying to trail 9-8 after a kill by freshman Stacy Qualizza. The Tigers then went on a 10-2 run and went on from there to defeat the Sycamores 25-16.
The third set was tied three times in the early going but an Agnich kill off a Fromm set put ISU on top 7-6 and the Sycamores stayed in front. Another Agnich kill and one from Whitaker put the Sycamores up 9-6. Memphis was never far back but Indiana State would stay in front, clinching the win on a Stoker kill, 25-21.
The Sycamores trailed 8-2 in the fourth set before rallying to get within one, 15-14, on a Stoker kill. The Tigers regained control temporarily, taking a three point lead before Indiana State came back again to trail 19-18. The Tigers scored the next five points and held off another Sycamore rally late in the set to take the 25-20 win.
Indiana State was just a hitting percentage of just .166 while Memphis finished at .241.
