JOLIET, ILL. - No. 11 Indiana Wesleyan Volleyball continued their hot start to the season, picking up wins against Aquinas College and the University of Saint Francis (Ill.). IWU overcame a slow start in their first set of the day to defeat Aquinas 3-1. In their second match the Wildcats would dominate in a 3-0 sweep of Saint Francis.  
 

THE ESSENTIALS

• Location: University of St. Francis | Joliet, Ill.
• Records: IWU - 4-1, 0-0 CRL | Aquinas College - 1-6, 0-0 WHAC  | St. Francis (Ill.) - 4-3, 0-0 CCAC
• NAIA Top-25 Ranking: IWU - #11 | Aquinas College - Unranked | St. Francis (Ill.) - Unranked

MATCH ONE VITALS

• IWU fell behind quickly in set one, finding themselves down 5-1 early. After fighting to regain the lead, the Wildcats would hold a 24-22 advantage with a chance to put the set away, but Aquinas would use a 5-1 run to steal the set 27-25.
• Down 11-9 midway through the second set, Indiana Wesleyan would use a 6-1 run to take control and give them a 25-20 victory.
• Both teams used big runs to shift momentum throughout the third set. Aquinas had runs of 7-1 and 7-3, while IWU used runs of 11-3 and 7-3 to take the set 25-20.
• The fourth set played out similarly to the third set, with both teams going on big runs to keep the set close. The Wildcats went on runs of 5-0 and 7-1 to escape with a 25-22 victory in the final set.
• Martina Demarchi's 17 kills and Eva Joldersma's 14 kills led the team to 53 kills in the match.
• Cassie Gregory and Marta Zambetti recorded 5 blocks each.
• Abbi Porter posted a season-high 43 assists to lead the Wildcats.
• IWU recorded 48 digs led by Eva Joldersma (12), Abbi Porter (11), and Cadee Notter (8)

MATCH TWO VITALS

• Indiana Wesleyan came out on fire to start their second match. Dominating the first set on their way to a 25-13 win.
• The Wildcats carried over momentum into the second set, building a 6-0 lead early. IWU led the entire second set, winning 25-18 to take a commanding 2-0 lead into the third set.
• Down to their last set, Saint Francis built a 6-1 lead forcing a Wildcat timeout. IWU would pull ahead late in a tightly contested set to win 25-23 and finish off the Saints.
• Eva Joldersma led the way with 21 kills, while Martina Demarchi notched 14.
• Abbi Porter continued her strong play in the second match recording 39 assists.
• IWU tallied 49 digs in the match led by Ally Barkhaus (14), Martina Demarchi (9), and Abbi Porter (9).

MOATS PERSPECTIVE

• "Today we reached another level as a team!  The leadership amongst this young team is bringing a cohesion of all in commitment!  I am so proud of each person on this team!"

LOOKING FORWARD

• The Wildcats begin day two of the Big Dogs Classic Tournament facing off against Missouri Valley College at 12:30 p.m. and wrap up the tournament against St. Xavier University at 3:00 p.m.

NEXT HOME MATCH

• The Wildcats will host Mount Vernon Nazarene University in their home opener on September 7th at 7 p.m.
• Individuals looking to attend can purchase tickets at IWUWildcats.com/Tickets

FOLLOW THE WILDCATS

• Follow Athletics (@IWUWildcats): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Follow Volleyball (@IWUVball: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook