NEW ALBANY, Ind. – In another River States Conference (RSC) Match of the Week showdown, the IU Columbus volleyball team earned a statement victory on Saturday afternoon, defeating IU Southeast in a thrilling five-set battle (21-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-25, 15-10).
The win not only served as revenge for the Crimson Pride's loss to the Grenadiers on September 13, but it also secured IU Columbus a spot in the RSC Tournament, the program's first post-season berth, and pulled them into a tie for fourth place in the conference standings.
After dropping the opening set 25-21, the Crimson Pride roared back behind a dynamic offensive surge, hitting .317 in the second set and .389 in the third to take a 2-1 match lead. IU Southeast forced a decisive fifth set, but IU Columbus answered once again—swinging an efficient .333 in the final frame to seal the victory.
Leading the way was Cora Baker, who turned in a dominant performance with 25 kills on a .333 hitting percentage, adding a service ace and nine digs for a match-high 27 total points. Journee Brown was electric at the net as well, hitting .692 with 10 kills on 13 attempts.
Ruthie Bingham added 12 kills and a solo block, while Sadie Egan contributed an all-around performance with six kills, 22 assists, 14 digs, and two service aces. Setter Bailey Stevens orchestrated the offense with 33 assists and nine digs, while Mikaela Salinas anchored the back row with 20 digs.
At the net, IU Columbus tallied nine team blocks, led by Bingham, Brown, and Ava Granson, who each made key plays to slow down IUS's balanced attack.
The Crimson Pride's resilience showed in the fifth set, where they stormed ahead early and never trailed. With the victory, IU Columbus improves to 17-7 overall and 8-4 in RSC play, matching IU Southeast's conference mark and continuing one of the most successful regular seasons in program history.
"This success is the result of a lot of hard work and the preparation we put in throughout the week to face IU Southeast, said Head Coach Jose Olivo. This team is incredibly resilient—after dropping the fourth set 15–25, we came back strong in the final set to defeat a very tough IU Southeast team. I couldn't be prouder of our group!"
Next up: The Crimson Pride travel to face Oakland City University on Friday (Oct. 31). First serve is scheduled for 7:00 PM.
