Emily Kabbes had 12 kills and hit .458 for the match as Illinois State topped Indiana State 30-23, 30-24, 30-21 in a Missouri Valley Conference volleyball match Saturday at Redbird Arena.
Illinois State 12-13, 5-7 in the Missouri Valley, won a three-game match for just the third time this season by out-hitting the Sycamores .267 to .113. Illinois State had nine team blocks and the Sycamores, 10-12, 4-8, had 29 hitting errors. That bothered Indiana State head coach Julie Krofcheck.
We had 20 balls we either hit out or hit into the net, said Krofcheck. Illinois State played with plenty of inspiration tonight, but we cant have that many unforced errors.
Brittanie Stowell led the Sycamores with 11 kills and Kelly Spisak had 15 digs. Kelly Rikli led the Redbirds with 15 digs and Savannah Knowles added 10. Staci Boyce and Knowles had four blocks each.
Redbird coach Sharon Dingman liked the way her team played all night.
Consistency was the key, said Dingman. We felt we could continue to play better as the game went on. Even back in October (when Indiana State won a five-game match against the Redbirds), we felt we were the better team and weve improved tremendously since October 4.
Laura Doornbos got the Birds out quickly with five of her 10 kills in game one as the Birds took advantage of 13 Sycamore hitting errors.
Kabbes and Knowles had five kills each in game two as the Birds stretched to a 24-15 lead and the Sycamores never got closer than the final score. Boyce thinks Knowles improvement has been steady.
She has just played awesome, said Boyce, the only Redbird senior. She has great skills and definitely doesnt play like a freshman.
A five-point Doornbos service stand fueled a six-point Redbird run to a 7-3 lead in game three. That gave the Birds an advantage they never surrendered.
Before the match began, the teams stood in silent tribute to John Sanders, the Missouri Valley Conference staffer who died in an automobile accident early Saturday morning. Dingman paid a tearful tribute to the former Valley volleyball media relations aide and conference championships administrator.
John Sanders was the biggest fan of volleyball in the Valley, said Dingman. We will miss him. He was the best.
The Redbirds continue their longest Valley homestand of the season with match Friday vs. Evansville and Saturday vs. Southern Illinois.
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