FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech women's volleyball team survived a five-set thriller (25-15, 19-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-11) Wednesday evening as they defeated Lourdes University Wednesday in the opening match of their Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) campaign. This victory snapped an eight-match losing streak against Lourdes earned Tech its first win at home against the Gray Wolves since 2012.
 
The Warriors shook off a 5-2 deficit early in the opening set and come back to take an 8-6 advantage after a pair of Madelyn Omo kills. A 9-0 run from Tech propelled them to a double-digit lead over their opponents, 17-7, behind four kills from Olivia Niekamp. The Gray Wolves pieced together a run of their own to eventually come within five, 19-14, but Tech would close out the 25-15 first set victory on a 5-0 streak.
 
Both teams would share a portion of the lead in set two before a 7-0 run by Lourdes put them ahead of their hosts 15-9. The Orange and Black utilized their opponents' errors to come within four points at 21-17, but could not overcome the Gray Wolves as they evened things up at one all with a 25-19 set win.
 
After knotting the score at 10-10, it was the Warriors who would take off, putting their opponents in a four-point hole at 16-12. Both teams eventually got locked up again, this time at 18 apiece, before back-to-back kills from Calista Helinksi and Jordan Aylward would seal the 25-22 set score and retake the match lead 2-1.
 
With the Warriors playing for a chance to seal the match, the fourth set began with both teams locked close. Tech held the 12-11 advantage before a short 3-0 run from Lourdes put them in the driver's seat. The Orange and Black attempted to derail their opponents lead, but fell short as they remained just on the outside of a 25-22 decision and send the two sides to a decisive fifth set.
 
Tech jumped ahead early to a 4-1 lead to begin the final stanza of the night and grew their lead to 7-4 and never look back. A 5-0 run, which featured back-to-back kills from Amaya Anderson, would help secure the 15-11 final set score and 3-2 match victory.
 
Madeline MacDonald led both squads with 24 digs and Madison Park recorded a match-high 27 assists. Aylward finished her night with 14 kills, while Helinkski and Niekamp both concluded with 13 kills each.
 
The Orange and Black (9-2, 1-0 WHAC) will be back in action next Wednesday as they travel to Lima, Ohio to take on the University of Northwestern Ohio. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at Racer Gymnasium.