IU Columbus’ Madison Hunter (19), Cora Baker (13) and Alyvia Luce (18) celebrate a set point during a match against IU Southeast Tuesday at CERA Sports Park in Columbus.
Tommy Walker | For The Republic
When IU Columbus played volleyball at IU Southeast earlier this month, the Grenadiers swept the Crimson Pride in three sets.
Tuesday night, IUC gained a measure of revenge. The Crimson Pride avenged their earlier defeat with a 25-17, 25-22, 23-25, 20-25, 15-13 River States Conference win at Ceraland.
“I think a big key to the turnaround today was our energy,” sophomore hitter Cora Baker said. “The first time we played them, we were kind of down a little bit, but this time, we came in strong with energy.”
Unlike the previous time the teams met, IUC had freshman middle hitter and Hauser graduate Kenze Bostic back in the lineup. Bostic, who missed the earlier match with an injury, was a key force in the Crimson Pride’s victory on Tuesday, posting three kills and a team-high three blocks.
“It was a different mentality we had for this game,” IUC coach Jose Olivo said. “But one of the big things, for the game down there, we didn’t have Kenze. She makes a big difference.”
“It was really exciting to be able to play because it is such an important game for a lot of personally to get back from our loss that we had previously, so I was super excited to play,” Bostic added. “We’ve been practicing really hard, doing the fundamental things to really just pick up our play, and I think it definitely showed tonight.”
The Crimson Pride (8-10, 4-7) jumped out to a 9-1 lead and cruised to a win in the first set, capped by an ace from Olivia Embry on set point.
“A lot of energy was brought tonight,” Embry said. “We all came in here with the same goal, and we worked hard. I just think you could see the excitement point after point.”
In the second set, IUC rallied from a 22-20 deficit by scoring the final five points, three of which came on aces from Madison Hunter.
IU Southeast wasn’t about to go quietly. The Grenadiers (8-16, 6-6) took the third and fourth sets to tie it. Gracie Farmer, a cousin of Hauser graduate and current pro basketball player in Romania, Alex Gross, served the final three points of the set for IU Southeast.
The Crimson Pride jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fifth set. The Grenadiers came back to tie it at 13-13, but IUC got a side out, and Adelynn Anderson served an ace to finish it off.
“I think it was more, ‘We’re ready to make a difference in this game,’” Olivo said. “That’s how we started the first two sets. Third and fourth, we came down a little bit. But the last set is so hard. We were working hard. We were very scrappy. It’s all about momentum, and that momentum came from the heart.”
“The trust and the focus we had in that last set, and our energy, we thrive off one another and love being out there with one another,” Bostic added. “It’s just really important for us to have that trust and focus and energy.”
Baker finished with 11 kills, Sadie Egan recorded 23 assists, Alyvia Luce notched 16 digs and Hunter served seven aces for IUC. Embry and Kera Wischmeier each pounded 10 kills, Luce tallied six assists, Wischmeier had one solo and two assist blocks, Hunter added 13 digs and Egan served three aces.
“I think we started off with a lot of energy at the beginning, and I think we stepped back a little bit on taking our foot off the gas a little,” Embry said. “But I think we went back in after those two sets of losing and just knew that we had to focus and play our hardest because that’s what we do.”
“I think we brought the energy back, honestly,” Baker added. “That third set, we were walking into it really comfortable, and then by that fifth set, we really realized that we needed to get it going and we brought a lot more energy that fifth set and a lot more focus and had a lot of intensity.”
IUC is back in action Friday when it hosts IU East at Ceraland. The Crimson Pride entered Tuesday’s game in ninth place in the conference, and the top eight make the conference tournament.
“This one will make a big difference,” Olivo said. “The team has continued growing. It just takes time. But we have the right people, and we have the right attitude. As long as we have the right attitude, everything is going to come along.”
