Oct. 9, 2005
Normal, Ill. -
Kari Staehlin had a career-high 22 kills, including eight in game one and seven in game four, to lead Illinois State past previously undefeated Bradley 30-24, 28-30, 30-18, 30-28 in a Missouri Valley Conference volleyball match Sunday at Redbird Arena.
The Braves entered the game with a winning streak of eight matches--six in the Valley--after defeating Indiana State 3-2 on Friday. The Redbird win put Wichita State, 7-0, in sole possession of first place in the league. The `Birds, with six straight conference wins, moved closer to the top.
Lindsey Stalzer, one of the nation's leaders in kills per game, had 10 of her match-high 24 to lead Bradley to a win in game two. But ISU, 10-6, 6-2 in the Valley, was able to slow her down in the next two games with stronger defense.
Bradley, 11-7, 6-1 in the Valley, built a 12-8 lead in game one, but Staehlin got her swing going and jump-started a 14-3 Redbird rally as ISU led 22-15. Staehlin had eight kills in nine swings for the game. Her last two kills were points No. 29 and No. 30. Staehlin believed her teammates put her in position to succeed.
"The passing was on top, and our defense was getting every ball. I expected to get kills with every swing," Staehlin said.
The Braves led 10-5 in the second game, but ISU went on a 7-1 run to take the lead, 12-11. After ISU led 15-13, the game was tied at every point from 16 through 26. The Braves got a Stalzer kill and an ISU hitting error to take a 28-26 lead. ISU tied on a Staehlin kill and a Savannah Knowles service ace, but Stalzer got point No. 29 on a kill, and No. 30 was her service ace which caught tape and dribbled over to Illinois State's side of the net. The Bradley win stopped ISU's string of 14 straight Valley games.
ISU had to improve their defense in game three. Among the changes Redbird coach Sharon Dingman made all match long (she used 13 players), were the insertions of Lindley McDavid to block and Marign Kate McCarthy to dig. McCarthy's contributions were important because the `Birds did not have the services of defensive specialist Jessie Janik due to illness.
"Our bench was really good," said Dingman. "We put in Lindley and Marign, and they both made a difference. And Kristin Dziubla got great swings. Manoela (DaCunha) stuggled offensively but she made a ton of plays for us defensively. We missed Jessie's emotion a lot today. She really provides that for us, but I felt that we were more in control (starting in game three) because of our energy."
Game three was tied 8-8 when the Redbirds went on a 10-2 spurt featuring blocks by Emily Kabbes and McDavid to take an 18-10 lead. McDavid helped give the `Birds a 2-1 lead in the match with two kills and two blocks-both on Stalzer.
The `Birds trailed 22-18 in game four when Staehlin slammed four consecutive kills to get the `Birds even. But Bradley rallied to take a 26-25 lead. Three straight Bradley errors helped the `Birds get on top. ISU led 29-28 when a back-row attack call ended the match.
The Redbirds continue their home stand with matches Friday against Indiana State and Oct. 17 vs. No. 10 Notre Dame.
