GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The young Golden Eagles were unable to come out with a victory on Friday night in Mol Arena, but they found a new gear of play fighting all the way to the end in a five-set thriller vs. (22) Indiana Tech. Cornerstone took the first and third set, but were unable to close it out, falling 25-22 in set four and 15-11 in set five. The Golden Eagles move to 6-9, 1-4 WHAC on the year as they end a three-game homestand vs. UNOH tomorrow at 1 p.m. 

Game Recap: Cornerstone – 2 #22 Indiana Tech – 3 (25-20, 14-25, 25-22, 22-25, 11-15)
Set One:

• Cornerstone made some significant lineup changes going into the match, most significantly moving Emma Whitley to the libero position. 
• The moves helped Cornerstone hang with Indiana Tech early as the two sides sat tied at 11. Emmalee Murphy and Kylie Barron got off to a hot start combining for four kills and a block.
• CU was later helped by some IIT attack errors to get out to their largest lead of 17-14.
• Jada Thomas then recorded a huge kill to increase the advantage to 20-16. 
• Cornerstone was able to hold the lead down the stretch, using a Kylie Barron kill and another Warrior attack error to take set one, 25-20. Cornerstone's offense displayed a ton of energy and it showed statistically, hitting .361. 

Set Two:

• The veteran Indiana Tech roster responded in set two with an early lead. They scored the first four points of the set, seeing back-to-back service aces from Noelle VanOort. 
• A block from Aubrey Lenz and Kylie Barron capped a 3-0 run to respond and cut the deficit to 4-3. 
• Indiana Tech later kept chipping away at the lead using a 4-0 run to go on top 14-6. 
• Cornerstone could not overcome the strong serve of the Warriors as they recorded five aces in set two to win 25-14. Ortiz-Acevedo checked in for the fifth ace for set point to secure it. 

Set Three:

• Once again, the new look CU lineup used joy and energy to their advantage on their home court to respond in set three early. CU scored the first four points of the set with two kills from Jada Thomas and an ace from Emma Whitley. 
• After Indiana Tech scored three straight, Cornerstone went on another 4-0 run with Emmalee Murphy recording two kills and Kylie Andras recording an ace this time. CU led 8-3. 
• Kylie Barron and Hannah Giere added massive kills that caused the gym to erupt making it 11-5. Indiana Tech would use their first timeout. 
• After the timeout Indiana Tech was able to chip away. They won the longest rally of the night on an Emma Westra kill and would cut the deficit to just one at 12-11. 
• Emmalee Murphy recorded a big solo block that capped a 3-0 Golden Eagle response to go back on top by four. 
• The Warriors then had a run of their own scoring five straight points to take their first lead of the set at 16-15. 
• Cornerstone had a response for every Warrior attempt. Hannah Giere and Kylie Barron combined for a big block as part of a 3-0 run that forced an IIT timeout. 
• The Golden Eagles would take set three 25-22 on a beautiful Aubrey Lenz dump kill. 

Set Four:

• The resilient Golden Eagles refused to let Indiana Tech get any momentum in set four as Kylie Barron and Jada Thomas combined for a big block and Emmalee Murphy recorded a kill to lead 3-1. 
• Kylie Barron later in the set smashed two attacks that Indiana Tech would keep alive, but on her third attempt in the rally she put the ball away to put CU on top 8-6. 
• Jada Thomas added two kills later in the set to keep Cornerstone on top by two. 
• Indiana Tech responded to take their first lead of the set on a Taylor Sorg kill to go up 15-14. 
• It did not last long though as a service error and a beautiful block from Aubrey Lenz and Gabby VerBerkmoes put CU back on top 16-15. 
• Cornerstone would use a timeout after an Emma Westra kill gave the Warriors a 20-19 lead in set four. 
• IIT would increase the edge to 23-20 and force the Golden Eagles second timeout. 
• CU cut the deficit back to just one, but a service error and an attack error would give the Warriors set four 25-22 and force Cornerstone to go five for just the second time this season. 

Set Five:

• Indiana Tech would get out to a 3-1 edge in the fifth, but Cornerstone would get a service error and a big Emmalee Murphy kill to tie things at three. 
• After a tough call down the line, Emma Westra would get a big Warrior service ace to go on top 7-4. Cornerstone would use their first timeout. 
• After the timeout, Aubrey Lenz and Kylie Barron combined for a block and Macy Ward checked in for a big serve that led to another CU kill cutting the deficit to one. The two teams would switch sides after a Warrior point with Indiana Tech leading 8-6. 
• Noelle Vanoort began to take over with back-to-back kills that forced the second Golden Eagle timeout at 10-6. 
• Cornerstone could not find the response down the stretch despite their best efforts, falling 15-11 in set five.

 
By the Numbers:
14/9 – Cornerstone recorded a season second best 14 blocks behind a career high 9 from Kylie Barron. 
27 – Noelle Vanoort recorded a game high 27 kills for the Warriors 
43 – Aubrey Lenz tallied a season second best 43 assists in the loss. 
 
What's Next?
The Golden Eagles end the weeklong homestand tomorrow vs. Northwestern Ohio at 1 p.m. back inside Mol Arena. 
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Volleyball Contact: Jesse Campbell 
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