10-0! Trailblazers close out 2021 regular season with unbeaten record in Region 24 play

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University volleyball team closed out their Fall 2021 regular season with a sweep over Region 24 opponent Kaskaskia 26-24, 25-16, 25-20.

With the win, VU finishes with an unbeaten 10-0 record in Region 24 play and an impressive 20-3 record overall.

The first set showed how evenly matched these two teams were, with the Blue Angels breaking the back-and-forth scoring to take a 10-7 lead.

VU responded well on their home floor, launching a 6-0 scoring run to take a 13-10 advantage.

Kaskaskia continued to battle, cutting the lead to two points, before extending the match by tying the game at 24-all.

Vincennes closed out the first set in overtime, scoring the next two points to win the set 26-24 to take a 1-0 match lead.

The Trailblazers jumped out to an early lead in the second set, opening up a 16-10 lead midway through the set.

Vincennes kept their foot on the gas to close out the set, ending the second set on a 6-1 scoring run to win set two 25-16 and hold a commanding 2-0 match lead.

VU again took an early lead in the third set by scoring eight of the first 11 points to hold an 8-3 advantage.

The Trailblazers continued to build on their lead, eventually sitting at 22-13 when VUVB head coach Gary Sien emptied his bench on Sophomore Recognition Day.

The Blue Angels rallied back with a 5-0 scoring run before Vincennes stopped the run to close out the third set 25-20, giving VU the three-set sweep and 10th win in a row.

"This was a tough weekend for us," Sien said. "Playing away at John A. Logan last night, getting back late from that, then turning around and playing the No. 2 seed in the Region today, plus Sophomore Recognition Day which can affect how we play."

"It was such an emotional win last night too, to win after such a long break and playing so well, so it was going to be a challenge today to try and duplicate that type of win," Sien added.

"There were times where we just didn't look great out there but one thing about this team, when it comes time to play, they get it done," Sien said. "I think we've learned how to make adjustments when playing a team for the second time this season."

VU was led on offense by freshman Jagoda Szybinska (Poznan, Poland) who finished with a team-high eight kills, while also adding a pair of blocks, two digs and an ace to her totals.

Freshman Addison Ainscough (Cannelburg, Ind.) ended with six kills offensively, while contributing 14 digs from the back row and a solo block at the net. Ainscough also added an ace from the service line.

Sophomores Breanna Metzger (Dale, Ind.) and Jamie Russell (East St. Louis, Ill.) and freshman Malgorzata Banasiak (Gdynia, Poland) finished with five kills each.

Metzger had a big game at the net on Sophomore Recognition day, adding six blocks and three digs to her totals, while also hitting .400 for the match.

"I've known Breanna probably longer than anyone else I've ever coached," Sien said. "I've known her since she was a freshman in high school and to be able to bring her back for a third year was really special."

Russell added four blocks to her totals for the day and Banasiak ended the match with a pair of block and a pair of digs.

"Jamie switched positions for us this year and has been really dominant for us this season," Sien added.

Sophomore Emilie Cornelson (Saskatoon, Canada) helped the Trailblazer defense at the net, matching Metzger's block totals to lead the team with six blocks on the day, while also adding a pair of kills and two digs in her final match at the P.E. Complex.

"Emilie, with this being her second year as a middle, is leading us in blocks and now she's really getting good swings on the ball and putting the ball away,"

Freshmen setters Hannah Graber (Montgomery, Ind.) and Josephine Mulligan (Saint John, Ind.) helped drive the VU offense, with Graber finishing with yet another double-double, her eighth of the season, with 19 set assists and 10 digs, while also leading the Blazers with three aces and one kill.

Mulligan ended her day with 12 set assists and six digs defensively, while also adding an ace.

Sophomore Grace Earp (Mattoon, Ill.) and freshman Lara Gomes de Castro (Sao Paulo, Brazil) patrolled the back row for VU, with Earp finishing the match with 11 digs and Gomes de Castro adding eight of her own.

"Grace, being a second-year libero has taken a big step this season with her confidence and serving tough," Sien added. "Being a libero is tough, there are a lot of little nuances that you won't really know how to do unless you are a libero."

Sophomore Claudia Mendoza (Washington, Ind.) saw some playing time in the third set and closed out her regular season with an emphatic solo block in her final match at the P.E. Complex.

"Claudia is a true leader for us. She is someone that I have personally enjoyed coaching," Sien said. "She's a bright spot on the team, she's always working hard in practice and being very vocal during games. Every team needs to have a couple Claudia's on the roster."

Sophomore Amee Beedle (Wheaton, Ill.) did not dress for this game as she is still recovering from injury but was also recognized before the game.

"Losing Amee is like losing two players for us," Sien said. "She can play defense, she can hit, she's a great leader out there. So having her out for this stretch of the season, we really do miss that."

"Last year we didn't have a lot of returning players coming back, so this group of sophomores had to play a lot last year as freshmen," Sien said. "This group really took a major step forward in maturity this year with how to handle things. This group came back and knew what it was like to play here and have done a really good job of communicating with the freshmen class about how last season ended and dedicating ourselves to getting things done here this season."

Vincennes will now turn their attention to the Region 24 Tournament next weekend hosted by Wabash Valley College in Mt. Carmel, Ill. VU will play in the Semi-Finals Friday, Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. eastern. Their opponent is still to be determined at this time.

"We're still working on bringing back people. Amee has been out for quite a while, so incorporating her back in is going to be huge," Sien said. "It's always nice to have a few days to get rested and ready. As long as we work hard in practice, we're going to be good."

"For Friday, not knowing who we are going to play, we're just going to game plan for both teams," Sien added. "We've done well against everyone in the Region, we're very confident and we just have to treat it like just another game. We say if every game is big, then it's just another game."

Kaskaskia – 24  16  20  x  x

VUVB (20-3, 10-0) – 26  25  25  x  x

VINCENNES STATS

Josephine Mulligan – 1 point, 1 ace, 6 digs, 12 set assists

Addison Ainscough – 8 points, 1 ace, 6 kills, 1 solo block, 14 digs

Lara Gomes de Castro – 8 digs

Emilie Cornelson – 5.5 points, 2 kills, 1 solo block, 5 block assists, 2 digs

Jagoda Szybinska – 10 points, 1 ace, 8 kills, 2 block assists, 2 digs

Breanna Metzger – 8.5 points, 5 kills, 1 solo block, 5 block assists, 3 digs

Jamie Russell – 7 points, 5 kills, 4 block assists

Grace Earp – 11 digs

Claudia Mendoza – 1 point, 1 solo block

Hannah Graber – 4 points, 3 aces, 1 kill, 10 digs, 19 set assists

Malgorzata Banasiak – 6 points, 5 kills, 2 block assists, 2 digs