SOUTH BEND, Ind. - With five players recording ten or more digs, IU South Bend used a strong defensive effort to close out the Crosstown Classic with a win on Saturday afternoon, defeating Aquinas (Mich.) in straight sets, 25-21, 25-20, 25-23.

Three players finished with double-doubles in the win; Amber Jacobs secured her first of the year, setting match highs with 13 kills and 16 digs in the win. Hannah Marchand collected 12 kills and 12 digs, while setter McKenzie Powell collected 35 assists with 10 digs on the day. Suriya Van der Oord and Whitney Gessinger anchored the back line as well, with 12 and 10 digs, respectively.

The match saw three close sets throughout, with IU South Bend (2-1) using an 8-1 run in the opening game to turn a 17-15 deficit into a 23-18 lead. Kills from Brown and Felisha Campanello secured the set before the Saints (3-5) were able to respond. 

IU South Bend held a narrow lead throughout the early portion of game two, until a three-point rally allowed the Saints to edge out in front at 16-15. Brown tied the game with a kill at 17-17, kicking off a rally that saw the
Titans take 9 of the next 12 points to take the second-set win. 

A hard-fought third set saw five lead changes, as Jacobs' kill at 18-15 gave the Titans a three-point advantage. Aquinas responded with four of the next five points to tie the game at 19-19, but a block from Marchand and Campanello highlighted a quick three-point run to put IUSB back in front at 22-19. The Titans would get just one more kill the rest of the way, but thanks to a pair of service errors, Powell's strike at match point would secure the Titan's second straight victory in the early season.

IUSB closes the season-opening weekend with a 2-1 mark, and claims their first-ever win over Aquinas in program history. The Titans will now focus on conference play for the next two weeks, with a trip to Governors State on tap for Thursday, September 2. Tipoff from University Park is set for 8:00 p.m. EDT.