Oct. 11, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State was a game away from sweeping Missouri Valley Conference opponent Drake after taking the first two sets at Redbird Arena, 25-17, 25-16, Saturday night.
Illinois State's Mallory Leggett led all hitters with nine kills in the first two sets and was part of a four player scoring attack for the Redbirds. MC Richmond had seven kills, and Katie Culbertson and Peggy Riessen had six kills for Illinois State.
Drake took an early 9-5 advantage in the first set behind Alisa DeBerg Roth and Angela Bys. The duo combined to score eight of the Bulldogs' first nine points and combined to score 12 of Drake's 17 points in the opening set. Illinois State charged back to tie the match at 11 and 13 before closing on a 12-4 run. Illinois State countered with its own dynamic duo, as Leggett notched seven kills and Culbertson added five. Culbertson also had a service ace, a block assist and a solo block in the opening frame.
In the second game, Richmond collected five kills, including four during a critical 7-3 run to give the Redbirds a 16-12 advantage. Riessen added four kills in the second set and the Redbirds got an emphatic closing run by Hailey Kelley, who scored three of Illinois State's final four points to seal the set, 25-16.
Live scoring is available via GameTracker and a live video feed is available through Redbird All-Access. This story will be updated.
