Sept. 17, 2005
Final Stats
Springfield, Mo. -
Kari Staehlin had 13 kills and Lindley McDavid had five blocks, but too many Illinois State errors benefited Missouri State, which beat the `Birds 30-26, 30-25, 30-27 in a Missouri Valley Conference match Saturday at Hammons Student Center.
The Bears, 6-5, 2-0, earned career coaching victory No. 200 for Melissa Stokes, who is in her 10th season at Missouri State. Katie Werges led MSU with 11 kills and Adeana McAfee had 15 digs. Redbird libero Ashley Grubb led all players with 16 digs.
The Redbirds, 4-5, 0-2, had more kills, 50-41, and more digs, 59-53, than the Bears, but ISU had nearly twice as many hitting errors, 30-16, and had trouble with ball control all night.
The inconsistency irritated Redbird coach Sharon Dingman..
"I just felt like Missouri State came out and pushed us around at times tonight," said Dingman. "We've been a slow starting time and we can continually do that against good teams. We have to get mentally tougher. But we'll go home and get back at it. This team can mature."
As they did in Friday's loss at Wichita State, the Redbirds dug themselves a huge hole in game one. Similarly to Friday's game-one victory after trailing 18-9, the `Birds were down 24-14 in game one on Saturday. Erin Lindsey won a joust at the net for the first point, then got rolling behind Lindsey's serving and three blocks by Emily Kabbes and Lindley McDavid. Lindsey's ace was the last of eight straight Redbird points to close the score to 24-22. But MSU got a critical block from Ashley Warren and Sabrina Apker to start a 5-2 finish.
Doornbos had two kills, Emily Kabbes one and Kari Staehlin another as ISU opened a 7-4 lead in game two. But the Bears responded behind Warren's serving. A 9-2 MSU run put the Bears on top 13-9. ISU scrambled back, but never got closer than three points after that.
Game three was tight until the teams were tied at 18-apiece. Warren's tip started a 6-1 Bears run and that gave MSU a 23-19 edge, one they kept until a Kristin Dziubla kill got ISU within 28-27. But the final Redbird service error of the night set the Bears up for match point.
The Redbirds play their Missouri Valley Conference home opener Friday against Drake in an 8 p.m. match at Redbird Arena.
