SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Hannah Marchand nearly started her senior season with a triple-double, scoring 18 kills, 14 digs, and eight aces in the nightcap of the 2021 Crosstown Classic, leading IU South Bend to a split in the season-opening tournament at the Student Activities Center on Friday night. The Titans began the new season with a four-set loss to Campbellsville (Ky.), before returning in the nightcap and claming a 3-1 victory over Mount Mercy (Iowa).

The Titans (1-1) looked strong right out of the gate, taking a 23-8 lead in the first set with Campbellsville (4-1) before winning the game 25-12. Abby Seeger collected five kills in the set as the Titans hit for a.444 average to start the match. The Tigers would respond in game two, however, using a 9-1 run midway through the set to build an 18-9 advantage over IUSB on their way to the win.

A hard-fought third set saw the Titans score five straight, highlighted by a pair of kills from Julie Brown, to take an early 10-5 lead. Campbellsville battled back, and would reach set point at 24-22, before a kill from Seeger followed by a block from Seeger and Marchand evened the score. Campbellsville took the set and the lead of the match with the next two points, winning 26-24. Another close one would go the Tigers' way to close out the match, when the visitors erased a 17-13 IUSB lead and went on to claim the fourth set, 25-22.

In the second match of the day, Mount Mercy opened up with a 25-15 win in the first set before the Titans rallied to claim the next three in a row. IUSB started the second set by building a 7-2 lead behind three quick kills from Marchand and two more from Jacobs. The Mustangs (0-1) nearly closed the gap at 15-14, but the Titans closed out the set by scoring the final ten straight points to even the match at one set apiece.

Another late rally tipped game three in favor of IU South Bend. Neither side could build more than a three-point advantage throughout the set, until at 17-17, when Marchand's kill started an 8-1 run to secure the win. Brown tallied three kills during the run, with another two points coming on service aces from Marchand. The Titans would close out the night by taking an early lead in game four, going up 10-3 with a block from Brown and Seeger, then leading comfortably throughout the rest of the set.

Marchand finished with 18 kills in the win over Mount Mercy, and 25 overall on the night. Setter McKenzie Powell registered 72 assists over eight sets of work, and libero Suriya Van der Oord collected a team-high 18 and 23 digs respectively in each match in her collegiate debut.

IU South Bend will close out the Crossroads Classic on Saturday, Aug. 28, with a matchup against Aquinas (Mich.) at 2:00 p.m.