CENTRALIA, Ill. – The Vincennes University volleyball team hit the road Monday night to take on the defending Region 24 champion-Kaskaskia College Blue Angels in what was sure to be "Game of the Week" in Region 24.
Set one lived up to the lofty expectations as the two teams battled back-and-forth as the set went to overtime.
Kaskaskia came away with the set one win, 26-24. The score was tied 16 times during set one and the lead changed hands a staggering nine times.
Vincennes looked determined in set two, jumping out to an 8-2 lead early.
The Blue Angels attempted a comeback, cutting the lead down to just two, but that would be as close as they would get as VU took set two and evened the match with a 25-16 win.
Set three began as another back-and-forth battle, with the score tied at seven-all, before the Blazers went on to score nine of the next ten points to jump out to a 16-8 advantage.
Kaskaskia would cut the lead to three but could not regain the lead as Vincennes took set three 25-17 and took the 2-1 match lead.
Looking to avoid playing a fifth set, the Trailblazers found themselves behind 10-9 midway through the fourth set.
VU would turn to sophomore Grace Earp (Mattoon, Ill.) and Addison Ainscough (Cannelburg, Ind.) who helped guide the Blazers on an 11-1 scoring run from the service line to take a commanding 20-11 lead.
This deficit would prove to be too much for the Blue Angels as Vincennes won set four and the match 25-15.
"This was a step forward in maturity for us," VUVB head coach Gary Sien said. "To lose a close first set and not lose composure. This was a tough team to play as they have played twice as many matches as we had and they swung hard at every single ball. This is a great restart for us, to start out this well after the stoppage."
The Blazers were led offensively by Polish outside hitters Jagoda Szybinska (Poznan, Poland) and Malgorzata Banasiak (Gdynia, Poland).
Szybinska led the Blazers with 16 kills and three aces on the night, while also adding eight digs and two block assists defensively.
Banasiak finished with 12 kills, more than doubling her previous career-high of five, while also finishing with four block assists on the night.
"Our two Polish kids had an exceptional night, as Jagoda was efficient on the left side, as was Gosia on the right side," Sien added.
Freshman Addison Ainscough was the third Trailblazer hitter to finish with double-digit kills, ending her night with her third career double-double with 10 kills and 16 digs.
Sophomore Breanna Metzger (Dale, Ind.) finished with nine kills, to go along with four block assists.
Sophomore Jamie Russell (East St. Louis, Ill.) matched Szybinska's production from the service line, ending with three aces as well as four kills and four set assists.
Emilie Cornelson (Saskatoon, Canada) led the Blazer defense at the net, finishing with a team-high six block assists and three kills on the night.
The VU offense was run by setters Hannah Graber (Montgomery, Ind.) and Josephine Mulligan (Saint John, Ind.).
Graber led VU with 24 set assists, while also adding seven digs and three kills. Mulligan finished with 23 set assists, eight digs and an ace on the match.
Sophomores Grace Earp and Amee Beedle (Wheaton, Ill.) led the backrow play for the Blazers, with Earp finishing with a team-high 17 digs and three set assists and Beedle adding eight digs on the night.
The Blazers will hit the road again this Wednesday, Sept. 22, when they travel to Fairfield, Ill. to take on Frontier Community College at 7 p.m. eastern.
VUVB (7-1, 2-0) – 24 25 25 25 x
Kaskaskia – 26 16 17 15 x
VINCENNES STATS
Josephine Mulligan – 1 point, 1 ace, 8 digs, 23 set assists
Amee Beedle – 8 digs
Addison Ainscough – 11 points, 1 ace, 10 kills, 16 digs
Emilie Cornelson – 6 points, 3 kills, 6 block assists, 1 dig
Jagoda Szybinska – 20 points, 3 aces, 16 kills, 2 block assists, 8 digs
Brenna Metzger – 11 points, 9 kills, 4 block assists, 1 dig
Jamie Russell – 7 points, 3 aces, 4 kills, 4 set assists
Grace Earp – 17 digs, 3 set assists
Hannah Graber – 3 points, 3 kills, 7 digs, 24 set assists
Malgorzata Banasiak – 14 points, 12 kills, 4 block assists