BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The IU Southeast volleyball team opened the 2021 season at the Vette City Classic in Bowling Green, Ky. On Friday, defeating Pikeville 3-1 before falling in a sweep to Thomas More.

IU Southeast defeated Pikeville 25-20, 25-15, 21-25, 25-19. The Grenadiers recorded 52 kills to the Bears' 38 in the match.

The Grenadiers (1-1) began the day with an impressive performance against the Bears. IU Southeast defeated Pikeville 25-20, 25-15, 21-25, 25-19. Emilee Organ led the Grenadiers with 14 kills on 25 attempts with just three erros for a .440 attack percentage.

Newcomers Maggie Purichia and Macy Graves added 11 and 10 kills, respectively.

IU Southeast jumped out to 6-1 lead to open the match before Pikeville cut the lead to 13-10. Later in the set, a kill by Organ extended the Grenadier lead to 23-16 but the Bears rattled off four-straight points to stay in the set. A service error and kill by Purichia secured the first set for the Grenadiers.

Organ and Purichia combined for 10 of the Grenadiers' 12 kills in the opening set.

In the second set, a kill by Purichia, an attack error and a kill by Graves opened up a 10-2 IU Southeast lead. After the lead was trimmed to 14-9, IU Southeast used a 8-4 run to tak e a 22-13 lead. Delaney Nichols ended the set with a kill for IU Southeast.

The third set was close throughout the frame but three-straight points by Pikeville extended their lead to 22-18 before they hung on for a 25-22 win.

The Grenadiers answered back in the fourth set when they took a 13-7 lead on a Purichia kill. The deficit was cut to 17-13 but the Grenadiers scored four of the next five points to pull away. Back-to-back kills by freshmen Macy Graves and Jessi Kramer won the match for IU Southeast.

Freshman Cate Murphy had 22 assists in her first collegiate start while Hannah Brown added 14. Lexie Fisher and Averee Yoder each had 14 digs to lead the Grenadiers while Murphy and Santina Schembra each chipped in with 11. Schembra led the way with four of the Grenadiers' eight aces. Jennie Malone had four kills and five blocks in the win.

Against Thomas More, the Grenadiers could not overcome miscues as they committed 35 combined attack, reception and service errors to the Saints' 21.

The Grenadiers were tied or had leads late in the first two sets but attack errors doomed their chances. The Saints scored three of their final four points of the first set off of Grenadiers attack errors.

Izzy Stallard kept the Grenadiers in the first set as she recorded six of the 12 IU Southeast kills in the opening frame. She finished with a team-high nine kills for the match. Macy Graves added seven kills.

In the second set, the Grenadiers trailed 22-20 but three-straight points for the Grenadiers, capped off by a Organ ace, gave IU Southeast a 23-22 lead.

But two attack errors and a kill by Emily Mohs swung the set in favor of the Saints.

Thomas More jumped out to a 10-4 lead and led by as many as 12 points in the final set.

The Grenadiers take on Lindsey Wilson and Bethel on Saturday to conclude the tournament.