April 7, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State's volleyball team added to its already impressive spring season resume by going undefeated against the field of the 2007 Kelly Meisner Tournament at Redbird Arena Saturday. The Redbirds recorded two-game sweeps over Illinois Central College (ICC), Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Illinois Chicago (UIC).
Dating back to last weekend's Palos Courts Tournament, Illinois State has won 16 of its 18 single-games in the spring season.
"I am really pleased that we were able to win a lot of close games today," said head coach Sharon Dingman. "When we needed to score a critical point or come up with a big kill, we were able to do that. I also thought we played very physical, and that was good to see. I would like to see less service errors, but this team is at its best when they are serving aggressively. We'll clean some of those things up, and that is what the spring season is for."
The Redbirds cruised to a 2-0 sweep over ICC in the opening match behind a balanced offensive attack. ISU broke a 5-5 game one tie with a 4-0 spurt, and took a 9-5 lead after a kill by Peggy Riessen. The `Birds then stretched their advantage to double digits (22-12) after ICC committed three consecutive errors. A late Cougar surge pulled them within seven, 29-22, before Riessen put the finishing touches on a 1-0 game advantage with a kill and service ace to clinch the 30-22 victory.
In a tightly contested second game, Illinois State used a 6-0 late spurt behind the serving of Erin Lindsey to open up a six-point, 28-22 advantage. ICC fought back to pull within one, 29-28, before Katie Seyller provided the game winning kill to give the `Birds a 30-28 triumph. Seyller led the ISU charge with seven kills on a .360 hitting percentage, while Riessen contributed six kills. Kasey Mollerus and Lindsey were the defensive catalysts, combining for 22 digs.
In the ensuing match against SIU-Edwardsville, ISU overcame a slow start in the first stanza to post a two-game sweep. Both teams traded points for the first 40 possessions of game one before the Redbirds strung together a 6-0 run behind the serving of Kari Staehlin to open up a 23-19 lead. SIU-Edwardsville cut the Redbird lead to just one point (24-23) five possessions later, but ISU ended the frame on a 6-4 run, capped off by a Jessica Pratapas service ace, to clinch the 30-27 win.
ISU broke a 14-14 tie with a 7-2 run to jump out to a commanding 21-16 lead in game two. Pratapas' serving jumpstarted a 4-0 Redbird spurt just five points later, and ISU put the game out of reach with a 6-2 game-ending run to claim the 30-20 victory. Riessen and Staehlin each chipped in six kills, and Mollerus had 10 digs to lead ISU.
The Redbirds used a dominating front row effort to oust UW-Green Bay (30-18, 30-23). ISU jumped out to an early 9-4 lead in game one, with Lindsey, Seyller and Riessen each recording kills. With ISU leading 19-12, Riessen's serving led the Redbirds on a 4-1 charge, as they opened up a commanding 22-13 lead. ISU led by as many as 12 points three times down the stretch, coasting to the 30-18 win.
Illinois State kept the pressure on in the early stages of game two, claiming a 14-6 advantage after the Phoenix trimmed the Redbirds' advantage to four points (21-17). But ISU held off the surge with six kills in the final 15 points to claim the 30-23 victory and clinch the sweep. Riessen ended the match with a team-high eight kills on a .540 hitting percentage, while Staehlin and Seyller each chipped in with seven kills. M.C. Richmond added 11 digs.
In its most competitive match of the day, Illinois State was forced to come from behind in both games before clinching the sweep over UIC. The Flames claimed the early advantage, jumping out to three-point leads on three occasions. After falling behind 15-12, Dingman called a timeout, and the Redbirds responded with a 4-1 run to tie the score, 16-16. There were a combined 16 ties and lead changes in the final 26 points of the stanza, before ISU claimed the lead for good and forced game point with a 29-28 lead after a kill by Staehlin. Pratapas clinched the 30-28 game one win with a kill.
In game two, UIC gained control again, jumping out to a 15-9 lead. But after an ISU timeout, the Redbirds rolled off seven consecutive points to claim a 16-15 lead. Lindsey and Seyller recorded back-to-back assisted blocks in the stretch. After Staehlin broke a 21-21 tie with a kill, the Redbirds never trailed again, finishing the frame on an 8-3 spurt to pull away with the 30-24 victory. Kristin Dziubla provided the final two points with back-to-back kills. Staehlin's eight kills led the Redbird offensive charge, while Richmond and Mollerus combined for 18 digs.
"All in all, I thought Kari (Staehlin) and Peggy (Riessen) both played spectacular today," added Dingman. "If we needed a dig, block or kill, they were there to provide that."
