IUK volleyball powerhouse demolishes River States Conference as NAIA awaits

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The IU Kokomo Cougars took to the court on Nov. 11 to kick off the River States Conference Championship tournament, and it was immediately apparent that the ladies were prepared to capture the title.

Facing West Virginia University Tech (6-29), the disparity in talent between the two teams was on display from the opening set. Tech held close to the Cougars initially but saw IU Kokomo streak to a win behind a 10-point run. The first set went IUK’s way, 25-10.

The Mountaineers fared little better against the Cougars in the second set, falling behind early and never closing the deficit as IUK took the second set 25-14.

The Cougars looked dominant, making very few mistakes while their applying relentless pressure. WVU found themselves out of position often, leaving opportunities for the Cougars to deliver well-timed and thunderous spikes.

The result was a desperate attempt by WVU to stay close in the final set. The Mountaineers ran out of steam, and their coach resigned the match, leaving the players on the court to play out the loss without a change in strategy. The 25-15 win gave IUK a straight-set advance to the second round of the tournament.

The Cougars were out for blood, as outside hitter Mya Grigsby delivered nine kills. Middle hitters Ryleigh Hamilton and Lexi Broyles added eight kills each.

Those kills were made possible by setters Allison Richman (22 assists) and Macy Chafin (13 assists). Defensive specialist Avery Littrell kept WVU off the scoreboard with 19 digs.

Hosting IU Southeast in the second round on Nov. 14, The Cougars continued to dominate. Despite its 19-7 record, the Grenadiers had no answer for IU Kokomo’s onslaught.

The visitors to the Student Activities and Event Center did manage to lead by a single point early in the second set but otherwise trailed the Cougars at every point in the three sets that swept IU Southeast home.

Winning 25-18, 25-15, and 25-17, IU Kokomo advanced to the conference finals behind strong performances from Grigsby with 13 kills, outside hitter Cali Cummings’ eight kills, and seven kills from Broyles.

Grigsby was a force defensively as well, contributing 11 digs to keep the Grenadiers at bay. Defensive specialist Chloe Carpenter added nine kills.

The assists were plentiful in the match as Richman recorded 20 of them, and Chafin added 14.

The Rio Grande Red Hawks (26-11) met the Cougars in the conference final but fared worse than IU Southeast in an abortive attempt to deny IU Kokomo the championship.

Once again, the Cougars led from wire to wire, dispatching their rivals in straight sets, 25-14, 25-14, and 25-17. The Red Hawks showed a little life in the final set but couldn’t capitalize on its close proximity to IUK early in the set.

The Cougars lifted the trophy on Nov. 15, returning it to Kokomo for the ninth time. Outside hitter Mia Niekamp proved instrumental in the victory, recording 13 kills to go with seven from Broyles and six from Grigsby.

Grigsby again led the Cougars defensively with 13 digs, while Richman and Littrell had six digs each. Richman scrambled all over the court to tally 18 assists, and Chafin added five.

IU Kokomo’s (29-5) next match will take place in the opening round of the NAIA National Championships on Nov. 22.

See additional photos from the Nov. 11 opening round win, courtesy of Adam Hartsough, on the Lantern’s Facebook page or group.