Sept. 30, 2006
Box Score
NORMAL, Ill. -- Illinois State's volleyball team put four players in double figures and hit a combined .250 in the final two games to overcome a one-game deficit and defeat visiting Drake (22-30, 31-29, 30-19, 30-23) here at Redbird Arena Saturday night. With the win, Illinois State improves to 7-9 overall with a 2-3 Valley slate. Drake moves to 3-12 and 0-5.
Senior outside hitter Manoela DaCunha recorded 13 kills and 18 digs off the bench to lead the `Birds. ISU's middle blocker trio of Katie Seyller, Kari Staehlin and M.C. Richmond each collected 11 kills to round out the offensive output. Freshman libero Kasey Mollerus had 26 digs, while setter Erin Lindsey had 49 assists and 14 digs.
The Bulldogs were led by Eve Johnson and Emily Madden, who combined for 29 kills in the setback.
Redbird head coach Sharon Dingman improved her record against Drake to an unblemished 13-0.
"Our defense really improved after the first two games tonight, and I thought that was the difference," said Dingman. "Our defense is really important to us, as is our blocking. We are trying to find ways to produce offense right now, and until we get some more consistency out of that area, we have to rely on other things, and we talked about that with the team before the match. We're going to have to find ways to win, and most of our wins this season have been because of our defense. Tonight was no different."
Drake came out firing, and jumped out to the 1-0 lead in the best-of-five with a 30-22 win in the first stanza. Both teams spent the beginning stages of the game battling back-and-forth for the lead. After breaking a 5-5 tie with a 3-0 spurt, Drake claimed the lead for good at 8-5. They led by as many as ten points in the ensuing 20 possessions. Illinois State could get no closer than seven for the remainder of the stanza, and Johnson put the finishing touches on a 30-22 victory with her sixth kill of the frame.
There was a constant command for the lead throughout game two. With the game tied at 5-5 again, Illinois State rapidly stepped up to take the lead with a score of 10-7. Drake answered with a 3-0 run to tie the game at 10-10. After falling behind 12-10, Illinois State went on a 7-1 run, and claimed a 17-13 lead that they would not relinquish. Drake tied the game twice down the stretch, but in each instance, the `Birds responded with a momentum-changing kill. After Richmond forced game point with her seventh kill, a Drake attack error gave the Redbirds a 31-29 win and knotted the match at 1-1.
After falling behind 3-0 in game three, the `Birds took the lead six points later (5-4), and used the spurt to coast to a 30-19 win. DaCunha had a game-high five kills in the stanza, and led the `Birds to a match-best .265 hitting percentage.
"Part of my job is to provide a spark off the bench," said DaCunha. "Once we overcame the slow pace of game one, our execution really improved. We just have to continue to remain patient and execute our offense."
In the decisive game four, the Redbirds used a 6-1 run mid-way through the frame to extend a two-point lead to six (17-11) and never looked back in claiming the 30-23 win. DaCunha had three consecutive kills with Jessie Janik serving to put the game out of reach for the Bulldogs. The Redbirds forced game point at 29-19, and setter Jessica Pratapas sealed the win with her first career kill.
