MARION, Ind. -- Wednesday night was a change of pace for the No. 17-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University volleyball team.

Indiana Wesleyan cruised in a 3-0 win over Spring Arbor (Mich.) in Luckey Arena. IWU jumped out to big leads in each set and won by scores of 25-12, 25-13, 25-22. The victory is the fourth in a row by Indiana Wesleyan as the team improves to 6-3 overall and 1-0 in Crossroads League games.

The match was the first league contest of the season for the Wildcats plus it was the first game after a brutal eight game stretch to open the 2013 season. The Wildcats have already played four teams ranked in the NAIA Top-25 plus three more that received votes. The only unranked opponent for IWU before Wednesday was Texas Wesleyan which holds an impressive 6-2 mark.

“We need to find things to keep us going,” said Indiana Wesleyan head coach Candace Moats. “Playing ranked teams for the last eight matches allowed us to generate our own energy. We got a lot of great hits and great plays from that competition. So tonight I told the girls we need to learn the discipline of staying very focused when the competition isn’t the top ranked teams.”

The Wildcats listened to Moats with a dominating performance. The team hit .400 or better in the first two sets before settling for a .333 line for the entire match.

Senior middle blocker Kristine Egebrecht was a force at the net with 13 kills and a .600 kill percentage to lead all players. Senior outside hitter Rae Brandes contributed eight kills and Kristin Predajna added six finishers plus a .545 hitting mark. Sophomore setter Katey Holler assisted on 26 kills tonight while freshman Sam Elkin added seven.

Senior libero Rebecca Brandes had a team-high 14 digs while Rae Brandes and Egebrecht each assisted on two blocks. Seven Wildcats combined for eight aces, led by sophomore Kelly Cypher with two.

Indiana Wesleyan will now prepare for the Grant County showdown with rival Taylor (Ind.) on Friday night in Luckey Arena. The match begins at 6 p.m.