It took all five sets and a career night from sophomore outside hitter Allie Brak, but the Truman volleyball team notched an MIAA-opening win at Lindenwood on Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs (7-2, 1-0 MIAA) jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the match, taking the first set 25-19 and the second set 25-13, before the Lions (5-4, 0-1 MIAA) rebounded in the third and fourth to force a decisive fifth frame.
Truman led 19-17 in the third set but couldn’t close it out, losing 25-22, before Lindenwood rode its momentum to a 25-20 fourth set win.
However, the fifth set was all Truman as the Bulldogs opened with a 4-1 run before widening the margin to 12-3 behind the tough serving of sophomore setter Meghan Zimmerman.
Freshman opposite hitter Abby Heise also helped push Truman over the top in the fifth, recording three of her eight kills in the match in the final four points.
The Bulldogs used big nights out of Brak – who finished with a career-best 19 kills – and senior middle hitter Megan Sharpe, who added 17 kills and six blocks to put away the Lions in their first MIAA match.
Heise closed the night with eight kills and a .389 hitting mark, while Zimmerman put forth a balanced effort of six kills, a career-high 49 assists, nine digs and two aces.
Brak finished with a double-double, pairing her 19 kills with 11 digs, while both sophomore libero Abby Moser (19) and freshman defensive specialist Kassi Schroeder (11) also reached double-figures in digs.
The Bulldogs hit .249 on the night – fueled by a combined .337 mark in the first, second and fifth sets – while holding Lindenwood to just a .165 mark. Truman also out-blocked LWU 9-6.
Truman returns to Kirksville for a Friday night match against No. 5 Washburn at 7:00 pm in Pershing Arena.
Courtesy Truman State University
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