MARION, Ind. – Indiana Wesleyan Women's Volleyball defeated Grace 3-1 (25-16, 25-17, 23-25, 25-19) Wednesday night in the Crossroads League Volleyball Tournament Semifinal, earning a spot in the Crossroads League Tournament Championship. The second-seeded Wildcats have now won 10 straight matches and took the season series from the third-seeded Lancers 2-1, adding to a 3-2 win on Nov. 4 after Grace took the first meeting 3-2 on Oct. 1. IWU hit .203 as a team to Grace's .087 and held edges in kills (55-44), assists (52-35) and aces (8-3). Aubree Deshetsky led the way with 22 kills, Ashlee Gallegos had 25 assists, and Camaya Murry added 21 digs and four aces, including three in a row in the first set.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Marion, Ind.
- Records: Indiana Wesleyan 25-8 overall, 15-3 CRL; Grace 26-8 overall, 13-5 CRL
- Crossroads League Rankings: #2 IWU | #3 Grace
SET 1 (W, 25-16)
- IWU led from start to finish, opening with a 3-0 run (0-0 to 3-0) on Gallegos's serve.
- Murry then served three straight aces in a 4-0 run (4-2 to 8-2).
- Aiva Kresge served three points in a 4-0 run (15-9 to 19-9), and Grace answered with a 3-0 run (19-9 to 19-12) with Reese McCutchan serving two of the points.
- Morgan Osborn served two points in a closing 3-0 run (22-16 to 25-16).
SET 2 (W, 25-17)
- Blair Gardiner served two points in a 3-0 run (3-2 to 6-2), and Daniella Joseph did the same in another 3-0 run (7-5 to 10-5).
- Grace cut the lead to 10-8 with a 3-0 run on Emily Uhlmann's serve.
- Gardiner served two more in a 3-0 run (15-11 to 18-11), and IWU pulled away, 25-17.
SET 3 (L, 23-25)
- The set was tied 12 times. Grace opened a 7-3 lead on a 4-0 run (3-3 to 3-7), with Anna Elkin serving three points, including an ace.
- Gardiner answered with five straight serves, including an ace, in a 6-0 run (3-7 to 9-7).
- Grace built a 23-18 lead on a 3-0 run (18-20 to 18-23), with Grace Bowers serving two of the points.
- IWU tied it at 23-23 on a 5-0 run (18-23 to 23-23), with Kresge serving four points, but Grace took the final two points to win, 25-23.
- IWU hit .140 in the set to Grace's .152.
SET 4 (W, 25-19)
- Grace jumped ahead with a 5-0 run (6-5 to 6-10), four of the points on Reagan Owens's serve, including an ace.
- IWU answered with a 5-0 run (10-13 to 15-13), four of the points on Gallegos's serve, and another 5-0 run (15-14 to 20-14), four of the points on Kresge's serve.
- Joseph served two aces in a 3-0 run (20-16 to 23-16), and the Wildcats closed it out, 25-19.
KEY WILDCATS
- Aubree Deshetsky — 22 kills (.321 hitting percentage), 14 digs
- Marin Sanchez — 15 kills, 12 digs
- Ashlee Gallegos — 25 assists, 12 digs, 1 ace
- Blair Gardiner — 18 assists, 2 kills (.400 hitting percentage), 8 digs, 1 ace
- Camaya Murry — 21 digs, 4 aces, 8 assists
- Mariana Van der Aa — 7 kills (.222 hitting percentage), 2 block assists
- Shae Williams — 7 kills, 9 digs, 2 block assists
- Breanna Tubergen — 4 blocks (1 solo, 3 assists)
- Daniella Joseph — 2 aces
LOOKING AHEAD
- Indiana Wesleyan will play in the Crossroads League Volleyball Tournament Championship on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 3 p.m. on the road against Taylor. The Wildcats and Trojans split the regular-season series, with IWU winning 3-2 on Sept. 2 and Taylor winning 3-1 on Oct. 10.
- Links for live stats and video are available at IWUWildcats.com.
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS
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