Sept. 13, 2008
Final Stats
CHICAGO -
The Illinois State volleyball team nearly handed top-ranked Penn State its first single-set loss of the season, but saw the defending NCAA Division I national champions break a 22-22 tie in the third frame with a 3-0 set-winning run, and the Redbirds were swept in straight sets (25-12, 25-17 and 25-22) in the second round of the Chicago Classic at Mother McAuley High School Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore middle blocker Katie Culbertson recorded a team-high seven kills on a .400 hitting percentage, leading the Redbirds in kills for the first time in her career. Junior outside hitter Peggy Riessen chipped in six kills; Mallory Leggett had four kills and Hailey Kelley and M.C. Richmond each contributed three. Erin Lindsey had 21 set-assists and team-high tying six digs.
Penn State was led by Nicole Fawcett's (17 kills) and Megan Hodge's (13) combined 30 kills. Fawcett hit .519 for the match, leading the Nittany Lions to a .446 team attack percentage. PSU held statistical advantages in kills (47-25), set-assists (43-23), digs (32-25) and points scored (60-34).
"The scores went from 25-12, to 25-17 to 25-22, so that definitely showed that we became more comfortable with what Penn State was trying to do as the match went on," said head coach Melissa Myers. "We really made some key adjustments that you need to make against a great team.
"One of the things I was really proud of was that our players were not intimidated. They came out, played smart, and did exactly what we talked about doing prior to the match. We had a chance to build a 17-13 lead in that final set, and allowed them to re-gain that point. It ended up being a big difference. Penn State is obviously a great team, and kept most of their starters in for the entire match, so that shows you the respect they had for our team and our players."
The Redbirds fell behind by six points (10-4) in the early stages of the opening set, before going on a 5-2 run, capped off by a Kasey Mollerus service ace, to pull within two points (10-8). The Nittany Lions responded with a 5-0 spurt to claim a commanding 17-10 advantage, and never let the Redbirds get any closer than seven points for the remainder of the frame. With Alisha Glass behind the service line, Penn State finished the set on a 4-0 run, including back-to-back kills by Arielle Wilson.
ISU jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the second set after a solo block by Kelley, and held onto the lead for the ensuing 12 possessions. The Nittany Lions earned their first lead of the frame at 11-10, and forced the Redbirds into their first timeout of the frame after going on an 8-5 run. The Redbirds pulled within four, 20-16, two points later, but PSU finished the set on a 5-1 spurt to record the 25-17 win, and 2-0 lead in the best-of-five.
The Redbirds jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the decisive third set, and led for the ensuing 27 possessions, with advantages as large as three points. After completing a quick 3-0 run to tie the frame at 16-16, Penn State forced ISU into its first timeout of the stanza. Culbertson's solo block one-point later gave ISU the 17-16 lead, but the Nittany Lions answered with three-consecutive points to take a 19-17 advantage, and force Myers into her second timeout.
Riessen had two kills in the next six points, pulling the Redbirds within one point (19-18 and 21-20) each time. Leggett's fourth kill of the match gave ISU its first tie since 17-17, but PSU never surrendered the lead. Hodge had two kills in the final four points to complete the sweep.
The Redbirds will face Illinois-Chicago in their final match of the Chicago Classic Saturday afternoon beginning at 5:30 p.m.
