DePaul Wins Season Opener Over Southern Indiana

Friday, August 30

Peoria, Ill.

3 p.m.

DePaul University

1-0,0-0Big East

Southern Indiana

1-1,0-0OVC

DePaul

Southern Ind.

DePaul Wins Season Opener Over Southern Indiana

8/30/2024 7:08:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Box Score

Klemp led Blue Demons with 15 kills

Peoria, Ill. – DePaul volleyball defeated Southern Indiana, 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 25-15, 22-25, 15-10), Friday evening in a gritty performance to open the 2024 campaign.

Three Blue Demons surpassed double-figure kills, with graduate student Audrey Klemp recording a team-high 15 kills on the day. Fellow graduate student Jill Pressly tallied 13 kills and 12 digs, for her first double-double of the season. Senior Aly Kindelberger notched 12 kills, eight blocks, and six digs for the Blue Demons.

Defensively, libero Rachel Krasowski poured in 28 digs, while sophomore Nora Mannion added 10 of her own. The Blue Demons held the Screaming Eagles to a .078 hitting percentage on 39 attacking errors.

Senior Ashley Cudiamat led the team in assists with 28, while freshman Amanda Saeger tallied the first double-double of her career, with 21 assists and 11 digs.

The Blue Demons recorded 9 service aces, with Krasowski, Pressly, and Saeger each posting two.

"It was a tremendous start and hard-fought victory," said head coach Marie Zidek.

"We have been saying this year it's about everyone growing into capable roles and that at some point the match will be on the shoulders of the entire team to weather some ebbs and perform under pressure. Teams are going to come after us with their best efforts and try to get us off our goal, which is to build a super strong team with systems that bend and adjust, but never break. It was that tonight. We gained a layer of thicker skin going through that five-set match. We'll look to take what we learned today and roll it into tomorrow."

HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET ONE: Southern Indiana jumped out to an early 8-3 lead, notching seven kills, but two kills from Pressly and a handful of Eagles service errors pulled the Blue Demons within two. The set remained close but four more kills from Klemp resulted in a 25-23 set victory for the Blue Demons.
SET TWO: The Blue Demons led by as many as five early in the set, aided by seven service errors from the Eagles. USI put together a 6-0 run in the middle of the set to narrow DePaul's advantage. The two teams traded points but the Screaming Eagles pulled away late, behind three kills from sophomore Leah Coleman.
SET THREE: Set three was a strong showing for the Blue Demons, as the Eagles could not overcome nine service errors late in the set. Three kills from Klemp and two from freshman Luisa Juncu closed out the 25-15 set victory for DePaul.
SET FOUR: The beginning of the set remained close with five ties and three lead changes. The Blue Demons jumped out to a four-point lead, aided by two blocks from Klemp and sophomore Meghan Scholz on the front line. Three kills from Eagle Leah Coleman tied the set again at 18, and Saeger's service ace for the Blue Demons tied the set at 20. A late 3-0 run sealed the deal for the Eagles in a 25-22 set victory.
SET FIVE: The deciding set opened with kills from Kindelberger and Pressly, and three consecutive USI attack errors pushed the Blue Demons ahead by four in the early going. A block followed by another kill from Kindelberger extended the lead to five, and Cudiamat sealed the set and the match with a service ace.

UP NEXT
DePaul continues competition at the CEFCU Invitational on Saturday, August 31. First serve against the Tommies is set for 1 p.m. The Blue Demons will close out opening weekend against Bradley at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 1. The Blue Demons open at home on September 12 versus Colorado State.

FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all the latest information on DePaul Volleyball, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

TICKET INFORMATION
Join DePaul Volleyball at McGrath-Phillips Arena this fall and join us in celebrating 50 years of Blue Demon volleyball! Season ticket memberships start at only $45 per seat and include access to all 15 regular season home matches! For an additional $30, upgrade your experience and sit courtside at McGrath-Phillips Arena! Fans can visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets for more information, including single-game tickets and group opportunities.