SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Indiana State closed a four-match road trip Saturday night, falling in three sets to Missouri State (25-13, 25-21, 25-19) inside Hammons Student Center.

Kaitlyn Hamilton had a team-high 11 kills, while Mallory Keller added seven for a Sycamore team that couldn’t generate sustained attacking success for much of the match. Melina Tedrow had a match-high 12 digs along the back row for the Trees.

Errors proved costly in the first set for Indiana State, as Missouri State led wire-to-wire in the opening set. The Bears had a 20-4 lead at one point before the Sycamores generated a spark on attack. Keller and Hamilton combined for seven kills among Indiana State’s last nine points of the set but it was too little, too late as Missouri State cruised to a 25-13 win in the first.

Indiana State got off to a better start in the second set and led 8-5 following back-to-back kills by Karinna Gal. The Sycamores pushed their lead to 14-10 following a pair of MSU errors but a 7-1 scoring run midway through the set gave the home side a lead it didn’t relinquish. Errors kept the Sycamores within reach, but Missouri State hung on to take the set 25-21, as Indiana State faced a 2-0 deficit.

Kills by Hamilton, Keller and Storm Suhr gave Indiana State an early third-set lead, but Missouri State erased it with an 8-0 run and never looked back. The Sycamores cut their deficit to 17-13 with kills by Hamilton and Jamie Brown but couldn’t generate a lengthy scoring run. Suhre and Hamilton added kills late in the set, but Missouri State closed out the match by taking the third set 25-19.

Inside the Numbers

• Emma Kaelin continued her strong play since becoming a six-rotation setter, finishing one dig shy of a double-double with 28 assists, nine digs and three kills.
• Indiana State’s three blocks were tied for its fewest in a match this season.

News and Notes

• Saturday’s match snapped Indiana State’s 10-match streak of having more blocks than its opponents. The Sycamores entered the match as the top team in the MVC in blocks.
• Including Saturday’s match, Kaitlyn Hamilton has four aces in her last three matches.

Up Next

Indiana State begins its final homestand Friday at 6 pm against Belmont.

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