Nov. 10, 2006
PEORIA, Ill. -- Junior middle blocker Kari Staehlin had 18 kills on just 32 swings (.469 hitting percentage) to lead Illinois State's volleyball team to a convincing sweep (30-26, 30-26, 30-23) over host Bradley at Robertson Field House Friday night. The Redbirds' last five wins in Missouri Valley Conference play have been three-game sweeps.
With the win, Illinois State improves to 15-11 on the season with a 9-6 Valley slate. Bradley drops to 7-21 and 4-12.
M.C. Richmond also had a solid showing in the front row, collecting 13 kills and six block assists. Senior outside hitter Lindley McDavid chipped in with 10 kills. The `Birds defensive effort was spearheaded by Kasey Mollerus' 24 digs. Senior outside hitter Manoela DaCunha came off the bench to contribute a key serving effort with three aces to go along with two kills.
Bradley was led by Kelly Niemeyer's 13 kills.
ISU head coach Sharon Dingman was pleased with her team's complete effort on the offensive end.
"Manoela was our relief pitcher tonight," said Dingman. "Her back has really been bothering her the past couple of weeks, but she had a great week of practice and said she was ready. She really played well tonight.
"I thought our ball handling was exceptional tonight. Kasey Mollerus had some spectacular digs, and her ability to get us in system was key. Our transition game was also very smooth. Everything just clicked tonight."
Illinois State led for all but three points in game one, running away with a 30-20 win. The Redbirds broke an early 4-4 tie with a 3-0 spurt to claim a 7-4 advantage that they would not relinquish. The lead fluctuated between two and five points for the ensuing 20 possessions before McDavid single handedly put any Bradley comeback hopes to rest. She recorded three straight points with a solo block and two kills to stretch the ISU lead to 20-13. The Braves could get no closer than six points for the remainder of the stanza. The `Birds finished the game on a 9-6 run, and capped off the win with an assisted block by Staehlin and Lindsey. Staehlin had seven kills in the frame to lead ISU.
The Redbirds emerged victorious in a back-and-forth battle in game two, 30-26. Illinois State's first four points came off blocks, with M.C. Richmond assisting on all four. But the Braves stayed close, and eventually took the lead at 8-7 after back-to-back ISU hitting errors. They led by as many as three points, but Richmond tallied three consecutive kills to tie the game at 11-11. There were a combined 16 ties and lead changes in the ensuing 25 points before the Redbirds put the game away behind the serving of DaCunha. She started the run with an ace, and saw Staehlin, Lindsey and McDavid each record a kill in the final four points of the game to cinch the 30-26 win.
ISU jumped out to an early lead in game three, and coasted to the 30-23 match-clinching win. Bradley was forced into an early timeout after allowing Illinois State to claim the early 9-4 lead. Richmond, Katie Seyller and Lindsey all had kills in the stretch. Illinois State continued the offensive tear out of the timeout with a 6-0 spurt to stretch the lead to 13-5. Bradley cut the lead to four three times down the stretch, but could get no closer. DaCunha sealed the win with her third ace of the match.
The Redbirds will be back in action Sunday (Nov. 12) when they host first-place Northern Iowa on Senior Day. Action from Redbird Arena is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
