Sept. 8, 2007
Final Stats
MUNCIE, Ind. -
Freshman outside hitter Mallory Leggett had a team-high 10 kills and hit a career-best .357 to lead Illinois State's volleyball team to a three-game sweep (30-17, 30-24 and 30-15) over the host Cardinals at the Ball State Classic Saturday evening. It was ISU's second sweep of the tournament, and wrapped up the Ball State Classic team title.
The win marks Illinois State's (8-2) best 10-match start since the 2004 campaign, when the Redbirds started out the season 14-2. ISU's five-match winning streak also represents its longest since November of the same campaign (Nov. 6-26, 2004). Ball State drops to 1-7 on the season with the setback.
Senior middle blocker Kari Staehlin joined Leggett with 10 kills, while M.C. Richmond and Peggy Riessen each chipped in with nine kills. Erin Lindsey had 37 set assists; and Kasey Mollerus contributed 17 digs defensively.
"This was another great win for us, and we played some very good volleyball. Again, at times it wasn't pretty, but when we needed to elevate our play, I thought we did that and looked like a winning volleyball team. Kari (Staehlin) again proved that she was our senior leader tonight. She really got things going, especially in that third game.
"I was very pleased with our effort in game three. I really challenged our team at halftime, and said that we should be hitting in the .300 range. We came out with 19 kills and hit .349. That is the kind of volleyball that we are capable of playing."
The Redbirds and Cardinals played to a 10-10 tie through the first 20 points of game one, before Illinois State opened up a 13-10 lead with a 3-0 spurt that forced Ball State into its first timeout. Illinois State's lead extended to double-digits (24-14) 15 possessions later after the `Birds recorded an 11-3 run. Ball State scored just four more points for the remainder of the stanza, as ISU coasted to the 30-17 win. Richmond had a team-high four kills on just seven swings in the game, while Staehlin and Leggett added three kills apiece.
ISU carried the momentum over to the early stages of game two, jumping out to an 11-4 advantage. Every Redbird server in the opening 15 possessions was behind the service line for at least two points, including Lindsey's 3-0 spurt that forced BSU into a timeout. The Cardinals responded with a 7-0 spurt out of the timeout that tied the game at 11-11. Both teams traded points over the ensuing 18 possessions, before ISU opened up a 24-21 lead after posting a 4-1 run. The Redbirds had four kills in the final eight points, with Richmond providing the game-winner to secure the 30-24 win.
The Redbirds broke an early 3-3 tie in game three with an 8-3 run to claim a commanding 11-6 lead. The lead grew to as large as 13 points (28-15) down the stretch, as ISU used a 17-6 game-ending run to break open the final score.
Illinois State returns home to host nationally-ranked Ohio State Tuesday at Redbird Arena. Start time is set for 7 p.m.
