NEW ALBANY, Ind. - After losing the first two sets, No. 4 IU Southeast mounted a furious comeback to send the match to a fifth set but ultimately fell 3-2 to No. 5 IU Columbus in round one of the 2026 River States Conference Volleyball Tournament.
Nicole Stratford recorded a game-high 13 kills. Jordan Vaughan had ten kills, followed by Avynn Belding with nine. Ellery Warnock led IU Southeast in digs (18) and serving aces (4). Carly Mason had 26 assists, and Kylea Donoho recorded 6.0 blocks.
Grenadier volleyball's 2026 season comes to an end following Tuesday's loss to IUC. IU Southeast finished the season with a record of 10-17.
Set 1: IU Columbus 25, IU Southeast 12
Early in the first set, with IUC leading 6-5, the Crimson Pride went on a 12-3 run to go up 18-8. The Grenadiers were unable to overcome IUC's run, and the Crimson Pride would go on to win set one.
Set 2: IU Columbus 25, IU Southeast 18
IUC went on a 6-1 run midway through the second set to go up 14-8, but the Grenadiers roared back. IU Southeast scored eight of the next 11 points to make it 17-16. The Crimson Pride responded with an 8-1 run to close out the set and give IUC a 2-0 match lead.
Set 3: IU Southeast 25, IU Columbus 17
The Grenadiers rallied in the third set, scoring 11 of the first 15 points. The Grenadiers continued to pad their lead, going up by as much as 11. IUC made a late run to cut the lead to 22-17, but the Grenadiers scored the last three points of the set to win the set.
Set 4: IU Southeast 25, IU Columbus 15
The Grenadiers got off to another fast start in set four after scoring 12 of the first 16 points. Just like set three, IU Southeast used their fast start to cruise to a victory in the set. The Grenadiers won the set 25-15 and tied the match at 2-2.
Set 5: IU Columbus 15, IU Southeast 10
After an IUC serving error tied the score at 4-4, the Crimson Pride went on an 8-2 run to go up 12-6. The Grenadiers scored three of the next four points to make it 13-9, but a serving error and an IUC kill gave the Crimson Pride a 15-10 win in the set and a 3-2 win in the match.
