OWENSBORO, Ky. - The 18th-ranked Indiana University Kokomo volleyball team opened River States Conference play on the road Friday night at Brescia, sweeping the Bearcats inside The Moore Center for the program's 39th-consecutive regular season conference win.

FAST FACTS - 3-0 Win @ Brescia University

• LOCATION: The Moore Center | Owensboro,KY 
• UPDATED RECORDS: IU Kokomo - 9-5 (1-0), Brescia University - 5-8 (0-2)
• NAIA TOP-25 RANKINGS: IU Kokomo - #18, Brescia University - N/A

THE RUNDOWN 

• IU Kokomo got off to a strong start Friday night, controlling the opener from the word "go" en-route to a 25-18 first-set victory.
• Brescia held their own for much of set two, yet the Cougars eventually found a level of energy and rythym that propelled them to a 25-20 second-set victory and 2-0 lead.
• Looking to complete the sweep, head coach Heather Hayes's squad handled the Bearcats with ease in set three, taking it 25-12 to open conference play 1-0.

LEADING THE CHARGE

• The IU Kokomo attack was fairly balanced Friday evening, as upperclassmen Mia Niekamp and Lexi Broyles led the way with 11 kills apiece. 
• Freshman Ryleigh Hamilton added seven kills, five of which came in the first set. Mya Grigsby chipped in six kills while recording a team-high 10 digs alongside libero Avery Littrell.
• Allison Richman led the IUK setters with a match-high 21 assists, while Macy Chafin followed with 13. Richman and Grigsby each finished with three service aces.

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

• "It was great to open conference play with a win. We're still working on limiting our errors, but I'm proud of how we locked in and played to our full potential in the third set." - Assistant Coach Sarah Morin
• "This match we talked about being intentional and staying focused and I think that's what we did! The second set we battled back and forth until we found energy which helped us dominate in the third set! I'm so proud of how we played and I'm excited for the first conference win of the season! " - Senior Allison Richman

THE ROAD AHEAD

• Next Matches: Saturday, September 13th: @ Oakland City (1:00 PM ET), vs Bryan at Oakland City (3:00 PM ET)
• Next Home Match: Friday, September 26th: vs IU Southeast (7:00 PM ET)

For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.