Aug. 24, 2007
Final Stats
NORMAL, Ill. -
In a battle of teams coached by former college teammates, the Illinois State volleyball team opened its 2007 season against No. 7 Florida on Friday, August 24, at Redbird Arena. Backed by a dominating hitting effort and strong defense, the Gators prevailed with a 3-0 victory over the Redbirds in front of 3,357 fans, the ninth-largest crowd in Redbird Arena history.
Despite the loss, head coach Sharon Dingman felt that the Redbirds offense looked strong throughout the match, especially the player of setter Erin Lindsey.
"I thought our offense was pretty good tonight," said Dingman. "I was really proud of Erin (Lindsey). I thought that she had this team ready to go tonight."
The match marked a reunion between Dingman and Florida head coach Mary Wise. Dingman and Wise were teammates at Purdue before moving on as assistants at Kentucky in 1988.
Junior right side hitter M.C. Richmond led all Redbird hitters with 14 kills and a .270 hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Kari Staehlin followed close behind with 10 kills of her own, to go with a .304 hitting percentage. Junior setter Erin Lindsey led the Redbirds with 36 assists and 15 digs.
The Gators started the first game on a 6-0 run, forcing the Redbirds into calling their first timeout of the game. Following the timeout, ISU began to hit its stride, scoring two-straight points to cut the Florida lead to 6-2. After allowing the Gators to go up by as much as 11 points (17-6) midway through the first game, the `Birds mounted a comeback, going on a 4-0 run to bring Florida's lead down to 22-14. The Gators hung on end in the end, taking the first game, 30-19.
ISU took its first lead of the match when Richmond led off the second game with a kill. The strong hitting presence of Florida's Marcie Hampton kept ISU at bay, however, never allowing the Redbirds to take the lead.
After cutting the Gators' lead to just one point (22-21), the two teams traded points back-and-forth before the Gators started to pull away late in the game. Down 27-23, ISU called a timeout, looking to regroup. Florida capitalized on the one-minute break, scoring three quick points, against just one ISU kill, to put the game away, 30-24.
The third game was the closest of the match, as there were 13 ties and seven lead changes. The Redbirds got three quick points to start thanks to the strong serving of freshman outside hitter Peggy Riessen. Following a kill by the Gators, Riessen once again helped the `Birds out, extending their lead back to three, 4-1, with a kill of her own. After Florida tied the game, 5-5, the Redbirds and Gators traded leads before Florida started to take control of the game, rattling off five-straight points, to take a 13-10 lead.
The Redbirds kept the game close, with Riessen sneaking a kill over the left side of the net to cut the Gator lead to 16-15. Freshman outside hitter Mallory Leggett brought ISU back into contention just one play later with a service ace, tying the score at 16-16. Following the timeout, the `Birds kept the pressure on, recording two-straight blocks to take a 19-18 lead. The two teams then traded leads back-and-forth, with neither side gaining an edge until the Gators took a two-point lead (24-22), forcing the Redbirds into a timeout.
ISU came right back following the timeout, with Leggett recording a quick kill, followed by a service ace from middle blocker Katie Seyller to re-tie the score, 24-24. A kill by Staehlin put Florida on the defensive, as the Gators called a timeout, down 25-24. After the timeout, Florida came back with a 6-2 run to close out the match with a 30-27 game three victory.
Florida improves to 1-0 on the season and 16-8 all-time in season openers. With the loss, ISU drops to 0-1 in 2007 and 18-7 all-time in season openers.
Illinois State returns to action Saturday in the Redbird Classic at Redbird Arena. The `Birds face Miami (Ohio) at noon and Valparaiso at 7 p.m.
