NATCHITOCHES, La. -- The University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team (11-9, 9-2) extended its winning streak to five matches with a sweep of Northwestern State (13-14, 5-7) on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals posted a .313 hitting percentage while limiting the Demons to .085, the lowest opponent hitting percentage UIW has allowed this season.
SET ONE: The Cardinals grabbed the early lead after a Demon service error sparked a 4-0 kill to give UIW a 10-5 advantage. Incarnate Word went on another run following kills from Calissa Allison and Lilly Roach before the pair combined for a block to extend the lead to 13-7. NSU kept things competitive out of the media break, closing the gap to four. Allison and Roach combined for another block, prompting NSU to call a timeout at 20-14. Out of the break, another 4-0 run, featuring back-to-back kills from Teddy-Raye Ewers, gave the Cardinals a 22-14 lead. UIW closed the set on a 7-1 run to take the opener, 25-15.
SET TWO: Set two opened with both teams tied at five before a 4-0 UIW run, sparked by back-to-back kills from Grimm, forced NSU to take a timeout at 9-5. The Cardinals extended their lead to 13-6 before the Demons closed the gap to 17-13 coming out of the media timeout. Incarnate Word responded to push its lead back to six at 19-13, forcing another NSU timeout. Ewers closed out the set with back-to-back kills before a Demon attack error gave the Cardinals the 2-0 advantage with a 25-16 set-two victory.
SET THREE: Incarnate Word continued to control the match, jumping out to a 6-2 lead on a 5-0 run to force an early NSU timeout. The Demons grabbed two points out of the break, but UIW responded with another 3-0 run, sparked by a kill from Grimm to extend its lead to 11-5. The Cardinals continued to build their advantage, leading 18-7 before NSU put together a run to close the gap to single digits. UIW maintained control to secure the 3-0 sweep, with Grimm and Alex Beauchamp combining for the final block to close out set three.
NOTABLES:
- Ewers led the team for the second consecutive game with 11 kills, adding 11 digs for her second double-double of the season.
- Allison recorded her 12th double-double of the season with 15 assists and 10 digs. She added nine kills and four blocks.
- Vanessa Eregie hit a season high of .667 with six kills on nine attacks with no errors.
- Incarnate Word hit .313 as a team, their second-best mark of the season, holding the Demons to .085, the lowest opponent hitting percentage UIW has allowed this season.
The Cardinals will close out their road trip against Houston Christian on Nov. 4 at 6:30 p.m. before returning home for the final stretch of the regular season.
FOLLOW ALONG
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on X @UIWAthletics, and on Instagram @uiw_athletics.
Follow the team on X @UIWVolleyball and on Instagram @uiw_volleyball.
