Western saw a three-match win streak come to and end, and fell to 20-5 on the year with the loss, while the Jaguars improved to 13-13.
The Lady Toppers fell behind early in game one as IUPUI scored the first six point of the game and stormed out to a 15-5 advantage on a Casey Chrzastowski kill. Western was able to trade points before going on a 7-2 run got the Lady Toppers back within five (22-17) on a Lyndsey Broerman kill. A Michelle Sobocinski kill stopped the spurt, and the Jaguars scored seven of the final 10 points to take game one 30-20. WKU registered just seven kills the in the opening game, while IUPUI finished with 20 kills and a .361 hitting percentage in the opener.
It was Western that jumped out to a big lead early in game two, going up 12-4 on back-to-back Crystal Towler service aces. However, two straight Katie Hahn kills sparked a 9-0 IUPUI run as it grabbed a 13-12 lead. The game would see 10 ties from that point before a Sobocinski started a 6-2 Jaguar run to give them a 28-24 lead. After a Amanda Cecil kill, Tanna Smith got IUPUI to game point at 29-26 with a kill of her own. Western got a kill from Ashley Deignan and got a point on a Jaguar service ace to make it 29-28 before a Cecil service error gave IUPUI a 2-0 lead with a 30-28 victory.
Western could not overcome the disappointment of game two as IUPUI again came out of the gate fast to take a 13-3 lead early on in game three. The Lady Toppers were unable to string points together as the Jaguar lead never dropped below eight point. Again, the Western could only register seven kills the game as IUPUI closed out the match with another 30-20 win in game three.
Four Jaguars posted double-figure kills, led by Hahn's match-high 16. Towler paced the Lady Toppers with 10 kills, while Jessie Wagner came off the bench to post eight kills and a .316 hitting percentage.
The Lady Toppers will look to get back on track as they return to Sun Belt Conference action on Sunday (Oct. 31), hosting Florida International at noon (CST).
