Sept. 17, 2006
Final Stats
NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State had four players in double figures, but it wasn't enough to outlast defending State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champion Missouri State, as the Bears recorded a five-game (26-30, 34-32, 30-26, 28-30, 15-12) come-from-behind win over the Redbirds here at Redbird Arena Sunday evening.
As a result, the Redbirds have lost three consecutive matches, and are off to a 0-2 start in Valley play. Missouri State improves to 9-2 overall and 2-0 in the Valley.
Senior outside hitter Lindley McDavid collected a career-best 19 kills in the match, while junior middle blocker Kari Staehlin (16) and freshmen middles Peggy Riessen (13) and Katie Seyller (10) also tallied double-digit kills efforts. The Bears were led by Erin O'Connor, who collected a match-high 24 kills while hitting .206.
The Redbirds also had four players with double-digit digs performances, led by freshman Kasey Mollerus' 23. Senior Jessie Janik collected a season-best 13 digs in her second consecutive start; M.C. Richmond had 13 digs to go along with seven kills, while sophomore setter Erin Lindsey dug 17 balls and added 58 set assists.
In the two-hour, 47-minute match, both teams had nearly identical statistics. Missouri State had 76 kills, and Illinois State had 74; the Bears hit .159 as a team, while the Redbirds countered with a .156 hitting percentage; Missouri State had 73 set assists, and Illinois State had 69. The Bears narrowly edged the Redbirds in digs (100 to 96), points (92 to 90) and blocks (14 to 13).
"This was a great volleyball match," said head coach Sharon Dingman. "Two teams couldn't have played more of an evenly matched game, and you can see that by just looking at the statistics. I'm really proud of how we responded in 24 hours from yesterday's tough match against Wichita State. It would have been a tough match for either team to lose."
It was the fifth time this season that the Redbirds have competed in a five-game match. They are 2-3 in those matches.
Illinois State never trailed in game one, coasting to an eventual 30-26 win. Janik's serving got the Redbirds going early. They jumped out to the quick 3-1 lead after a kill by McDavid. Trailing 12-7, the Bears were forced into their first timeout 15 possessions later following a 5-0 Redbird run. Staehlin assisted on two blocks in the stretch. The `Birds led by as many as seven points in the game, and forced game point at 29-24 after McDavid's fifth kill. The Bears fought off two match points, but Illinois State put the stamp on the win by forcing a Missouri State service error. ISU had four blocks in the frame.
Illinois State controlled the majority of game two, but saw its five-point lead disappear late in the frame, as the Bears posted a 34-32 win to knot the match at 1-1. Both teams traded points in the early stages, as there were seven ties in the first 20 points of the stanza. Illinois State extended the lead to two points, 14-12, after McDavid's sixth kill, and the Bears called their first timeout. The `Birds stretched the advantage to three points three separate times in the ensuing nine points, and they claimed a game-high five-point edge (21-16) two points later, forcing MSU into their second and final timeout of the frame. Missouri State answered with a 5-2 run out of the break, and pulled back within 23-22. The Redbirds regained the lead, and extended it back to three (28-25) eight points later.
After a kill by Staehlin, the `Birds forced game point at 29-28. But the Bears followed with a quick 2-0 spurt, and took the 31-30 lead. The Redbirds tied the game two more times, but were unable to recapture the lead, and Missouri State capitalized with a kill by O'Connor and an assisted block between Sara Thomas and Sara Lansing to seal the come-from-behind win.
Missouri State jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the early stages of the third frame, forcing Dingman into a quick timeout. O'Connor had two kills in the middle of 5-0 run. The Bears kept the pressure on, building as much as an eight-point lead three times in the ensuing 20 possessions. But the Redbirds began chipping away at the deficit, and after a kill by McDavid, had pulled within six, 20-14. Following a Missouri State timeout, Illinois State strung together a 7-3 spurt to pull within 23-21, the closest the score had been since MSU owned the 4-2 edge. But the Bears went on a game-ending 7-5 run to claim the 2-1 lead in the best-of-five. Sara Staubach had two kills in the final three points to help clinch the win.
The Redbirds erased a four-point deficit in the fourth frame to complete the 30-28 comeback win and tie the match at 2-2. There were a combined 15 ties and lead changes in the game. Lindsey, Staehlin and Riessen each collected four kills in the game, while Thomas had seven kills for the Bears.
The decisive fifth game saw Missouri State build a commanding 8-3 lead before the teams switched sides of the court. But the Redbirds chipped away at the advantage, and following McDavid's 19 kill, had pulled within two, 14-12. It was part of a 3-0 run in which ISU fought off three MSU match points. The match ended one point later when McDavid's would-be kill sailed wide.
"Today was definitely a tough match," McDavid said. "We made errors that we haven't been making up to this point of the season. But we'll learn from it, and execute much better next weekend."
"I can't say enough about Lindley [McDavid]," said Dingman. "In her first four years here, she probably took 30 total swings. For her to be our number one option now after playing three positions in her career is phenomenal. I am extremely proud of her for taking that last swing to end the match. When you are a right side or outside hitter, your job is to take swings and try to kill the ball."
