Josephine Mulligan finished Saturday with 19 kills and 33 assists to help the Indiana University Northwest volleyball team to a sweep of Brescia (25-12, 25-18, 25-14) and a four-set victory over host Northwestern Ohio (25-14, 20-25, 25-20, 25-22).
The RedHawks finished the Racer Yellow Jacket Classic 3-1 and tied for the best record with the hosts Defiance and Northwestern Ohio.
IUN returns to action Thursday at 3 p.m. in the OnSet Tournament in Fort Wayne on the campus University of Saint Francis and Memorial Coliseum Friday.
MATCH ONE
In the opening bout, the RedHawks hit a staggering .412 behind Mulligan’s team-high 12 kills. To go along with Mulligan’s kills, Briah Strezo and Erica Packwood combined for 16 kills, five aces and four total blocks.
IUN scored the first point of the match on a block assist by Packwood and Baileigh Uporsky. The Bearcats, however, would hold a slim one-point (6-5) margin before an 11-0 run shifted the momentum the RedHawks way.
From go in the second stanza, IUN held a lead that it would not lose going up by as much as seven after a Packwood kill. Brescia though would inch closer as it got within two (19-17) before a Kaelan Murphy kill jump started a 6-1 set ending run.
In the final set, the RedHawks were up 11-2 and would eventually see the lead balloon to 12 late. The final point of the opener was put down by Jaelyn Donald, who finished contest with five kills.
MATCH TWO
Packwood had her first double-double of the season and was a dig shy of a triple-double against the Racers. Also in the nightcap, Mulligan finished with 16 digs and 19 assists, while Strezo added 12 digs.
Northwestern Ohio called a timeout in the first set after IUN jumped to an 11-6 lead, but after the break in action the RedHawks would score three straight points that was punctuated by Julianna Picicco’s ace. IUN would not allow the Racers to get any closer than six the rest of the way.
After falling in the second game, the RedHawks bounced back in the third and found themselves up 10 following an unforced error. The Racers though would their deficit down to three before IUN scored six of the final nine points to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
The RedHawks again came out of the gate with a lead that would get to 19-12 on a Strezo kill. However, a 10-3 Racer run tied the set at 22, but IUN held off the comeback and scored the last three points to secure another win.
