Sept. 21, 2007
Final Stats
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State (10-4, 2-1 MVC) lost its first conference match of the season to Wichita State (9-4, 2-1 MVC), 3-0 (30-21, 30-26, 30-28) Friday night at Redbird Arena. The three games were all vastly different, as the Redbirds trailed from the onset of the first game, gave up a big lead in the second and nearly completed a big comeback in the third. The win over the Redbirds was the Shockers' eighth-straight victory.
Junior right side hitter M.C. Richmond led the Redbirds with 13 kills, her 12th double-digit effort of the season. Sophomore outside hitter Peggy Riessen added 11 kills. Junior setter Erin Lindsey contributed 43 assists and 20 digs, both team-highs, along with four kills.
Wichita State took the first lead in the match with a 30-21 win in game one. The Redbirds trailed throughout, but were able to stay within at least three points early on in the game. Leading 17-15, Wichita State closed out the game with a 13-6 run, with six points coming on kills. Riessen had five kills to lead the Redbirds in the first game.
In game two, the Redbirds led early, but a pivotal 15-4 Wichita State run won it in the end. The Redbirds used an early 10-5 run to take a 15-10 lead and led by as many as seven at one point, 22-15. After a timeout, Wichita State scored five-consecutive points to start an 11-3 run that gave the Shockers the lead, 26-25. ISU tied the game at 26-26, but Wichita State closed out the game with four-straight points, including a block on match point.
"The run in game two hurt us," said head coach Sharon Dingman. "If we win that game, then it's a split and a whole new match. We focused on teams making runs throughout practice this week and that is something we need to get better at. Wichita State did a good job of taking our good players and not letting them do the things they like to do."
Game three was all Wichita State in the beginning as the Shockers used an 11-3 run to turn a 3-3 tie into a 14-6 lead. Down by eight, ISU stormed back into the game with an 11-3 run of its own to tie the score at 24-24. Senior middle blocker Kari Staehlin had three kills, a block and a block assist during the comeback. The Shockers never relinquished the lead, however, scoring six of the final 10 points to claim the game and the match.
Illinois State hosts Missouri State Saturday at 7 p.m. at Redbird Arena.
