Nov. 25, 2005
Final Stats
Cedar Falls, Iowa -
Kari Staehlin returned to the Redbird lineup for the first time in a month and had 13 kills and Laura Doornbos had 19 kills, but it wasn't enough for Illinois State to avoid a 30-19, 30-28, 26-30, 30-24 in the semifinals of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament Friday at West Gym.
Illinois State, 18-11, also got 28 digs from Ashley Grubb, the sixth-highest total ever recorded in a Valley Tournament match as ISU had more kills, 66-57, and just one less dig, 81-80, but the Bears had a 20-9 block advantage led by Sabrina Apker's 12.
Missouri State, 22-8, had beaten the `Birds in four games last weekend in Normal and earned a bye into the semi-finals by finishing second in the conference.
MSU went from a 6-6 tie to a 16-7 lead with the help of four early Redbird hitting errors The Bears only had a 12-11 advantege in kills in the game. Grubb picked up 10 digs in game one, moving into fifth place on the Valley single-season dig list. She finished with 581 for the season, a Redbird single-season record.
Redbird coach Sharon Dingman thought her team battled, but didn't have the ball control it needed after playing earlier in the day.
"We just didn't have the ball control we needed at times against a strong blocking team like Missouri State," said Dingman. "I thought we just battled as hard as we could. It's how this team has played all year."
Staehlin, who had missed nine matches and more than a month of play after being diagnosed with mononucleosis, became a force in game two with four kills in eight attempts. With Laura Doornbos and Manoela Vieira DaCunha both having four kills as well, ISU had a 25-23 lead, but MSU rallied to win with Erin O'Connor collecting three kills in that final run.
"We didn't ask Kari to get 16 kills and six blocks or anything like that," said Dingman, "but she was incredible considering she had been spending 20 hours a day in bed. Her play gave us a lift that we needed. As we said before the match, `toughness isn't in the muscles, it's in the mind and heart.' She showed that today."
Doornbos had six kills in game three as Illinois State trailed 19-16. During the 11-6 Redbird finish, Doornbos had four kills and Staehlin had three as the Redbirds showed a burst of energy Missouri State could not answer. Game four was tied at 11-11 before MSU went on a 6-0 run which helped the Bears build the momentum to take a 27-16 lead. ISU had one last rally as Doornbos had two kills late to bring ISU back to 28-24 after an 8-1 run, but the Bears kept the `Birds from sending the match to five games.
Illinois State advanced to the semifinals after Mary Catherine Richmond matched her career highs with 13 kills and seven blocks to lead a balanced attack in a 30-19, 30-25, 30-23 over Bradley. A changed Redbird starting lineup produced a new look and improved offense for the Redbirds, who hit .324 for the match to Bradley's .110.
Savannah Knowles' 12 kills, Doornbos' 11 kills and a nine-kill, 15-dig performance by Cunha, who was in the starting lineup for the first time this season, helped the `Birds hit .333 for the match with a new offense featuring Doornbos on the right side and DaCunha taking her place on the left.
Dingman had confidence that her team could make the necessary adjustments as the `Birds advanced to the semifinal round for the 23rd time in 24 league tournaments.
"We put the new offense in on Monday and the players embraced it right from the start," said Dingman, who earned her 298th career college coaching victory. "That was the key. Our offense was sputtering and we felt a change was necessary."
The day's play ended the careers of Doornbos, Grubb and Emily Kabbes, who is No. 3 in Redbird history in block assists. All three were all-conference players for the Redbirds. Erin Lindsey, who had 96 set assists in the seven games, finished with 1,465 for the season--just four short of the Valley freshman record of 1,469 by Chenille Bayless of Missouri State in 2000.
