COLUMBIA, Ky. - IU Southeast volleyball came up short on the road at (RV) Lindsey Wilson, falling 3-1 to the Blue Raiders in their 2026 season opener.
Nicole Stratford had a game-high 19 kills and tied Carly Mason with 11 digs each. Mason also had a game-high 35 assists. Avynn Belding made her IU Southeast debut Tuesday night and recorded ten kills.
IU Southeast is 0-1 following the loss and will be back in action Thursday evening in Kingsport, Tenn., for the 2026 Mountain Madness Tournament. The Grenadiers will take on Tennessee Wesleyan at 5:00 p.m. then Milligan at 7:30 p.m.
Set 1: Lindsey Wilson 25, IU Southeast 18
The Blue Raiders took the early lead in the opening set, but the Grenadiers hung around and cut the lead to 13-11. Lindsey Wilson responded with a 10-2 run to take control of set one. IU Southeast rattled off five consecutive points at the end, but LWU took set one.
Set 2: Lindsey Wilson 25, IU Southeast 22
After trailing by as many as five points, IU Southeast went on a 10-4 run late in the second to take a 21-20 lead. Just like in set one, however, the Blue Raiders went to a run to take the set. Lindsey Wilson scored five of the set's final six points to take a 2-0 match lead.
Set 3: IU Southeast 28, Lindsey Wilson 26
IU Southeast was trailing 16-11 before rattling off five straight points to tie the set. Later, the Blue Raiders went on a run to make it 23-20. The Grenadiers battled back, rattling off four in a row before tacking on another four points to take a 28-26 win in set three.
Set 4: Lindsey Wilson 25, IU Southeast 21
Lindsey Wilson scored seven of the first ten points in set four, but IU Southeast battled back with an 8-4 run to knot the score at 11-11. The Blue Raiders countered with a 4-0 run, and the Grenadiers once again answered with a 6-2 run to tie the score. Despite the Grenadiers' comeback, LWU would end up taking the set and the match after scoring eight of the set's final 12 points.
