LA CROSSE, Wisc. – Despite a near-record setting performance from senior Hannah Marchand, IU South Bend suffered an early exit from the 2021 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship, falling in straight sets in the Opening Round against No. 2 Viterbo (Wisc.) 25-18, 25-18, 25-16.
Marchand tallied 20 kills in the three-set match, the matching second-highest total in program history, and the most in a three-set contest for an IUSB hitter since 2018.
Julie Brown collected 10 kills on the night, hitting for a .310 percentage. McKenzie Powell registered 30 assists with eight digs. Amber Jacobs led the defense with nine digs.
The home team would jump out to an early lead, scoring five straight to build up a 7-3 advantage in the opening set. The Titans (22-8) would bounce back with three kills from Marchand in a four-point span, closing the gap to 12-9 in favor of the V-Hawks (38-1). IUSB would score another three-point rally later in the set, capped by a kill from Brown at 16-12, but that would be as close as they would get as both teams sided out one other the rest of the way.
Again in the second set Viterbo would jump out to an early lead, scoring a four-point rally to take a 9-5 lead. A kill from Jacobs and two more from Brown fueled a 4-1 run to bring the Titans to within a point, at 10-9. After the V-Hawks scored three straight, a pair of Marchand kills and a block from Marchand and Brown tied the set at 13-13.
Throughout the rest of the set however, the Titans were unable to put together another long rally, as Viterbo closed out the win in game two on a 7-1 run.
The struggles continued throughout the third set, as IU South Bend never put together more than a two-point rally throughout the game. The Titans led 3-1 early after kills from Marchand and a block from Marchand and Felisha Campanello, but Viterbo scored four of the next five to take the lead. Two straight kills from Abby Seeger edged IUSB back out in front, but after a 6-2 run for the home team gave the V-Hawks an 11-8 advantage, IU South Bend were unable to make another run at the lead.
The Titans close another successful season, as the 2021 campaign tied the program record with 22 victories. IU South Bend also set a new record with 16 CCAC wins, surpassing the previous program mark of 14-4 in 2019.
