Deborah Sangel had five kills and a block in the rally game to help Southwest Missouri State snapped a nine-match losing streak against Illinois State with a 9-15, 5-15,15-4, 15-3, 15-11 win over the Redbirds in Missouri Valley Conference volleyball Friday at the Hammons Center.
"We have to be in trouble before we start playing," said SMS coach Melissa Stokes, whose team has won three five-game matches this season. The Bears were in a deep hole after game two, but turned the tables on Illinois State after that.
According to Redbird coach Sharon Dingman, SMS had help from the other side of the net.
"The third game was the big difference," said Dingman. "It was a complete lack of focus. We served very well in the first two games, but we came out flat in game three. We were out of focus. We had service errors. We hit overpasses into the net. Our outside hitters couldn't come up with a kill."
The win by SMS, 13-2 overall, 6-1 in the Valley, was the first by the Bears in the series since Oct. 13, 1995, when SMS beat the 'Birds 3-1 in Redbird Arena. Illinois State, led by Kendra Haselhorst with 16 kills and Jackie Utz with 19 digs, falls to 7-5 overall, 4-2 in the Valley with its first loss at SMS since 1994.
Rese McNatt led a balanced SMS attack with 14 kills. Four other Bears had at least nine. Freshman Casey Young had a career-high 9 blocks. The Bears out-hit the 'Birds .182 to .114 for the match and had a 12-9 block advantage and a 100-63 dig edge as five players dug in double figures.
Dingman thinks her team needs a leader.
"When we struggle, we need for somebody to step up, to be a leader and to play like a leader," said Dingman. "We played like this (at home) against Evansville, but were fortunate enough to come back and win in the fifth game. This team (SMS) wasn't going to let us do that."
Utz served three points as ISU sprinted from a 7-4 lead to 14-4 in game one before SMS got going. Brooke Karges served five straight points before Erin Jones got a side-out kill. Jones' subsequent serve was an overpass which Haselhorst put away for game point, her sixth of the game.
With ISU leading 5-1 in game two, Utz reeled off seven straight service points, four on kills or blocks by Megan Stephenson.
A Becky Weber service ace tied game three at 4-4, but the 'Birds didn't score again, serving just six times without a point as SMS pulled away. The Bears continued to hammer the Redbirds in game four, scoring the last 11 points.
"SMS has struggled before and come back to win," said Dingman. "We knew that going in. But they kept the momentum."
The rally game saw the teams trade points until Young's kill and block produced back-to-back tallies and an 8-5 SMS lead. ISU got as close as 12-10, but Sangel pounded a pair of kills to put SMS at match point.
The Redbirds wrap-up a season-beginning stretch of 11 matches out of 13 away from home when they play Saturday night at Wichita State. ISU begins a string of four straight home matches Wednesday against No. 20 Notre Dame in Redbird Arena.
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