Columbus, Ind. – IU Columbus opened River States Conference play early Saturday afternoon but couldn't find their offensive rhythm in a 3–0 loss to visiting IU Southeast at Cera Sports Park. The Grenadiers (7-1, 1-0 RSC) earned the sweep by set scores of 25-21, 25-20, 25-16, handing the Crimson Pride (8-3, 0-1 RSC) their third loss of the season.

The Crimson Pride battled closely in the first two sets, trailing by just four in the opener and staying within striking distance midway through the second. However, the Grenadier's balanced attack proved too much as the visitors hit a match-high .424 in the final set to close out the sweep.

IU Columbus was limited to a .065 hitting percentage on the day, finishing with 25 kills against 19 errors. Cora Baker led the Crimson Pride offense with 6 kills and 6 digs, while Ruthie Bingham and Journee Brown each added 5 kills. Setter Bailey Stevens dished out 12 assists and collected 7 digs to pace the back row.

Defensively, IU Columbus posted 46 digs as a team, led by Stevens (7) and Mikaela Salinas (8), but the Grenadiers' 40 kills and .308 team hitting percentage kept the Crimson Pride on their heels.

Despite the setback, IU Columbus remains off to a strong start to the season and will look to regroup quickly.

Next Up: The Crimson Pride travel to Ohio Christian University on Tuesday (Sept. 16) for a non-conference match-up before returning home for a key conference weekend, hosting RSC opponents on Friday (Sept. 19) and Saturday (Sept. 20) at Cera Sports Park. Friday and Saturday's home matches will be played at Circle K Fieldhouse at NexusPark. This week's schedule is listed below.

Sept. 16
   7:00 PM at Ohio Christian University

Sept. 19
    6:00 PM vs. Oakland City University
        (Teacher Appreciation Night)

Sept. 20
    1:00 PM vs. Brescia University (Ky.)