Box Score BECKLEY, W. Va. – Emilee Organ had a match-high 16 kills and Delaney Nichols added 11 as IU Southeast defeated West Virginia Tech 25-23, 26-24, 25-18 in the quarterfinals of the River States Conference Volleyball Championship on Saturday.
Emilee Organ had eight kills in the first set and Delaney Nichols added five as the duo recorded 13 of the 18 kills in the first period to spark the Grenadier offense.
The No. 3 seeded Grenadiers (10-6) led 17-12 after a kill by Nichols, but the Golden Bears cut the deficit to 21-20 and then 23-22.
A Golden Bear attack error forced set point and after Nichols recorded an attack error she bounced back with a kill to win the set.
In the second set the Grenadiers and Golden Bears battled for control of the period as there were 15 ties in that period alone. With the set tied at 18, Alexis Bassett recorded two-straight kills for the Grenadiers, but WVU Tech answered with a 5-2 run to take a 23-22 lead.
After Izzy Stallard tied the set with a kill, Coralys Maldonado Rivera forced set point with a kill for WVU Tech. Stallard responded with back-to-back kills to give the Grenadiers the lead and Nichols closed the set with a kill.
The third set was controlled by the Grenadiers as they opened the set by outscoring WVU Tech 14-6. Brandy Eisenback had back-to-back aces to help extend the lead for IU Southeast.
WVU Tech (7-5) cut the lead to 18-13 but they would not get closer. Emilee Organ and Jennie Malone had consecutive kills to give the Grenadiers a 23-15 lead and, after a kill by Brooklyn Cook, Hannah Sipe had a kill to force match point.
After an IU Southeast attack error, Organ won the match with her 16th kill.
Izzy Stallard had eight kills, Alexis Bassett added seven and Jennie Malone had five in the win for IU Southeast. Hannah Sipe had 40 assists and three kills and Kenna Burman led the Grenadiers with 22 digs. Emilee Organ added 12 digs and Santina Schembra had 10.
IU Southeast travels to RSC West No. 1 seed IU Kokomo for the RSC Volleyball Championship Semifinal Wednesday at 7 p.m.
