Nov. 18, 2006
Box Score
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Fifth-year senior outside hitter Lindley McDavid had a career-high 20 kills in her final regular season match, and the Redbirds got a key bench performance out of reserve middle blocker Peggy Riessen, as Illinois State completed a record-setting weekend with a thrilling five-game decision (30-12, 30-26, 26-30, 26-30, 15-12) over host Missouri State at the Hammons Student Center Saturday night.
Saturday's win combined with Friday's victory over Wichita State marks the first time the Redbirds have defeated the Shockers and Bears in the same road trip since the 1999 season.
McDavid led all scorers with 20 kills; Kari Staehlin had 13 kills to go along with eight assisted blocks; M.C. Richmond tallied 11 kills, and Katie Seyller added 10 kills and six block assists. Missouri State was led by Erin O'Connor's 19 kills, while Jamie Adams chipped in with 18 kills.
Kasey Mollerus spearheaded the Redbird defensive effort with 27 digs, leading a group of four ISU players in double figures.
.
ISU head coach Sharon Dingman attributed the win to a gritty effort by all 10 players that saw action.
"Our players willed themselves to a win tonight," said Dingman. "We got gritty performances at key times tonight, and that was the difference. Jessie Janik and Peggy Riessen made some huge plays for us when we needed them the most.
"But again, this win was all will, guts, whatever you want to call it. We feel really good about our chances at the tournament next weekend after what we accomplished the last couple of days. It's going to be one heck of a road to get to the championship match, because we are going to have to win multiple matches in one day. But this weekend's performance definitely gives us a lift."
Illinois State shocked the Bears in game one, collecting a 30-12 win, their largest margin of victory this season. The `Birds forced Missouri State into both of their game one timeouts just 15 possessions into the game, jumping out to a decisive 11-4 lead. The advantage ballooned to 18-5 eight points later after Jessie Janik's serving led Illinois State on an 8-0 surge. Missouri State never got any closer than 12 points for the remainder of the stanza, as the Redbirds built as large as a 17-point (28-11) lead. McDavid's game-high sixth kill clinched the 30-12 win. The Redbirds hit .444 in the game.
The Redbirds overcame a quick Missouri State start in game two to post a come-from-behind, 30-26 win and 2-0 lead in the best-of-five. The Bears opened the frame on a quick 8-3 start, forcing Dingman into her first timeout of the match. They stretched the lead to 12-4 before ISU completed a 4-0 run to pull within four, 12-8, and force MSU into a timeout. The Bears held at least a five-point for the ensuing 23 points before Illinois State claimed its first lead at 22-21 after Missouri State's fifth hitting error of the stanza. ISU claimed the lead for good (27-26) 10 possessions later, and Staehlin put the finishing touches on the win with back-to-back kills.
The Bears used a late run to collect a 30-26 win in game three. Missouri State broke a 7-7 tie with a 4-1 spurt to claim an early 11-8 lead. But with her team trailing by two, Lindsey stepped to the service line, and led the `Birds on a 5-0 lead to give ISU a 16-13 lead. MSU regained the lead at 24-23 after an Illinois State ball handling error, and held on to the advantage for the remainder of the frame. The Bears finished the game on a 6-3 run, with Sara Thomas capping off the win on her sixth kill.
Missouri State prevailed by a score of 30-26 in the decisive fourth game. Both teams traded points for the first 30 possessions of the frame before the Bears claimed an 18-15 lead after consecutive ISU hitting errors. The Redbirds fought back to pull within one on two occasions in the ensuing 16 possessions, but could not capture the lead. The Bears erased any hopes of a Redbird comeback down the stretch with a 5-2 game-ending spurt. Thomas clinched the game with a cross-court kill.
ISU clinched the five-game win with a thrilling 15-12 triumph. Both teams claimed early leads, and at the side switch, the Redbirds led 8-7after back-to-back kills by Riessen and Seyller. There were a combined nine ties and lead changes in the second-half of the frame, before Illinois State claimed the lead for good at 13-12 following Staehlin's fourth service ace. Seyller and Lindsey followed with an assisted block, and McDavid capped off the win with her 20th kill.
The Redbirds will enter next weekend's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference tournament (Nov. 24-25) at Redbird Arena as the #5 seed. First-round match ups will be decided tonight, and a complete bracket will be released Sunday.
