Box Score
LOS ANGELES – The Illinois State volleyball team showed steady improvement throughout its match with No. 12 UCLA, but the end result was still a 3-0 win for the Bruins Saturday at the Loyola Marymount Invitational at Gersten Pavilion. UCLA won by scores of 25-9, 25-19, 25-17.
Lexi Varga paced the Redbirds with nine kills. Jacqueline Twing dished out 13 assists and Courtney Pence tallied 10 digs. Ali Line was in on three of the Redbirds' four blocks in the match.
UCLA started the first set at a torrid pace, scoring five of the first six points. The Bruins never trailed in the opening set and did not allow the Redbirds to find a rhythm, as Illinois State was unable to score more than two-consecutive points at any point in the set.
A much closer second set saw Illinois State and UCLA trade points early. The Redbirds took a 10-8 lead after a kill from Lexi Wallen, but UCLA rattled off a 5-1 run to take control. A kill from UCLA's Madeleine Gates later sealed the second set win for the Bruins.
The Bruins used another mid-set surge to win the third set. After an even first half of the set, UCLA used an 8-2 binge to end all hopes of a Redbird comeback.
The Redbirds return to action this evening in their final match of the Loyola Marymount Invitational, against Niagara, at 6:30 p.m. CT. Links for live video, audio and stats are available at GoRedbirds.com, and fans can follow @RedbirdVB on Twitter for live updates from the matches.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
