FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech women's volleyball team opened the 2019 Liz Lykowski Memorial Tournament with back-to-back victories in the opening day of the Warrior hosted event, taking down Thomas More University 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-22) and Goshen College 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-21) inside the Schaefer Center.
 
Tech opened the afternoon contest with Thomas More University with an early 12-6 lead after an Olivia Niekamp kill. The Saints eventually knotted the contest at 14-14 before the Warriors utilized their opponent's errors to begin a 7-0 streak and jumped ahead 21-14. Jordan Aylward and Calista Helinski closed out the opening set with back-to-back kills, good for the 25-15 victory.
 
The second set kept both teams locked for much of the first several points, eventually settling at 11-11 before Tech claimed the next four points. That 15-11 lead evolved as the set progressed and they would not squander control through the remainder of the set. Thomas More attempted the comeback, but were stopped short en route to a Warrior 25-20 set advantage.
 
Up 2-0 in the match, the Orange and Black entered the third frame faced with a back and forth battle with their opponents. Knotted at 12-all, both teams fought for a longer share of the lead, but at 22-22, back-to-back aces from Genna Karbowski broke the tie before Niekamp's kill concluded a 25-22 set.
 
Madeline MacDonald led the Warriors with 15 digs, while Madison Parks recorded 18 assists. Aylward and Helinski each finished the opening contest with nine kills, with the latter hitting .500 for the match.
 
In the second contest of the night, the "Liz Game," Tech ran out with a 10-2 advantage after a late trio of kills from Helinski. The Warriors maintained their lead before the Maple Leaves put together a comeback to knot things at 18-all. A 4-1 streak to conclude the set gave the Orange and Black a 25-21 victory.
 
Frame two would show the Warriors jumping out to an early lead yet again, this time 15-6. Their lead continuously grew and they kept their opponents far enough out of reach, as they came out on top with a 25-14 final score.
 
Finding themselves ahead 2-0 for the second time of the night, Tech would be met with Goshen keeping the contest close. The Warriors would only take as much as a four-point lead over the Maple Leaves, 15-11 near the midway point. Despite a couple short runs from their opponents, the Orange and Black would come out on top 25-21 to claim their second match sweep of the tournament.
 
Aylward concluded the contest with nine kills, while Allison Cole and Havilyn Cummings finished theirs with eight and seven, respectively, with the latter hitting .545 and the former recording a .583 attack percentage. Park and Karbowski both recorded 20 assists each and MacDonald ended the night with 14 digs.
 
The Orange and Black (16-6, 6-4 WHAC) will be back in action Saturday for the second day of the Liz Lykowski Memorial Tournament with first serve at the Schaefer Center against Spring Arbor University set for 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. against Trinity International University.