Oct. 7, 2006
Box Score
NORMAL, Ill. -
Junior middle blocker Kari Staehlin had 11 kills with a season-best .474 hitting percentage to lead visiting Illinois State to a sweep over host Indiana State (30-15, 30-20, 30-18) here at ISU Arena Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Redbirds improve to 8-9 on the season with a 3-4 Missouri Valley Conference slate. Indiana State drops to 4-14 and 1-6.
It was Illinois State's fourth win in the last five matches, and was the Redbirds' first sweep of an opponent this season.
"We were very competitive out there today, I was really pleased with the effort," said head coach Sharon Dingman. "We have now won two in a row at ISU Arena, which has been a black hole for us in the past. We need to keep the momentum going heading into what will be a challenging match against Bradley Thursday night."
Illinois State used a dominating run in the late stages of game one to post a 30-15 victory. Both teams traded points for the first 20 possessions, before the Redbirds broke a 10-10 tie with a quick 5-1 run to claim a 16-12 lead. After the Sycamores won two of the ensuing four points, freshman middle blocker Peggy Riessen's serving led the `Birds on a 12-0 run to force game point at 29-14. Staehlin clinched the win two points later with her sixth kill of the frame. Riessen had seven service aces in the game to pace the Redbirds.
Illinois State never trailed in game two, coasting to a 30-20 win. The Redbirds jumped out to a 4-0 lead, before Indiana State posted a 4-1 spurt to pull within one, 5-4. But the Redbirds answered with a 3-0 run to go up 8-4, and the Sycamores would get no closer for the remainder of the stanza. Illinois State's lead was extended to 16-6 ten points later following a kill by Riessen. Seyller had two aces during a 6-0 run to push the lead to 27-15, and the Redbirds forced game point at 29-19 after a kill by Staehlin. The 30-20 win was clinched two points later on an Indiana State hitting error.
Illinois State fell behind 2-0 in the early stages, but claimed the lead at 3-2, and never relinquished the advantage. They used two 3-0 runs and two 5-0 spurts to help secure the run-away win. The Redbirds put the finishing touches on the 30-18 victory on three consecutive assisted blocks by M.C. Richmond and Seyller.
Illinois State returns to action Thursday night (Oct. 12) when they host Bradley at Redbird Arena beginning at 7 p.m.
