Sept. 2, 2008
Final Stats
NORMAL, Ill. -
Junior Peggy Riessen and sophomore Mallory Leggett combined for 47 kills to lead Illinois State (2-2) past Northern Illinois (2-2), 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-11), in the Redbirds' home-opener Tuesday night. First-year Redbird head coach Melissa Myers claimed a victory in her first match at Redbird Arena. The win was ISU's first in five sets this season and extended their streak to eight-consecutive five-set wins, dating back to 2006.
Riessen had a career-high 24 kills to lead all players, besting her previous career-high of 18 that she achieved three times. She had a .333 hitting percentage and had 19 digs. Leggett had 23 kills, one shy of her career-high total, and had 17 digs. Senior Erin Lindsey posted a season-high 59 set-assists and had four block-assists. Junior Kasey Mollerus had a game-high 24 digs. The Redbirds recorded season-bests with 70 kills and 11 blocks.
Meagan Schoenrock led Northern Illinois with 23 kills and also collected eight digs. Kristin Hoffman and Amanda Tadla led the Huskies with 23 and 15 set-assists, respectively. Northern Illinois had a .108 hitting percentage in the match and had just one set where it hit above .200.
ISU claimed the first set, 25-21. With the set tied at two apiece, the Redbirds opened up a 10-3 run, fueled by four kills by Riessen and two blocks, to take a 12-5 lead. The Huskies battled back with an 8-1 run of their own to tie the set again at 13. Illinois State never relinquished the lead, however, staying ahead by as many as three points the remainder of the match. Richmond and Leggett closed out the set with a kill each.
The second set featured 12 ties and seven lead changes. The Huskies clung to a slim early lead, but a kill and an ace by Riessen tied the set midway through, 11-11. The Redbirds built a three-point edge, but two kills, an ace and a service error by ISU gave NIU a one-point advantage. The two teams traded points and the lead over the next several points before Schoenrock capped the win with her eighth kill of the set. Northern Illinois nearly double their kill total from the first set with 13 and had a .162 hitting percentage, after hitting just .024 in the first set.
ISU streaked out to an 11-3 lead in the third set, but an 8-3 run by NIU pulled the Huskies back with three points, 14-11. The Redbirds maintained at least a three-point edge, with their lead growing as big as five points. NIU pulled back to within two points, 22-20, but three-straight hitting errors gave the set to the Redbirds. ISU had a 14-5 edge in kills in the third set and benefitted from a -.115 hitting percentage by the Huskies.
It was the Huskies who started out strong in the fourth set, taking a 9-2 lead that forced ISU to take a timeout. NIU had seven kills during the run. ISU regrouped after the timeout and went on an 8-2 run to pull back within a point, 11-10. Freshman Tabitha Visk completed the comeback with a kill and a block to tie the set for the first time, 15-15. A kill by Leggett a few points later put the Redbirds on top, 18-17. The two teams traded points and the lead, as service errors plagued both sides. Northern Illinois was able to capitalize on an ISU service error when Schoenrock spiked the set-winning kill.
The final set was a tight battle, just as the previous four had been. With the match tied at five, ISU scored four-straight points to take its biggest lead of the set, 9-5. Legget recorded the final two kills to give the Redbirds the set and the match.
Illinois State will host the Redbird Classic this weekend. ISU opens play against Western Carolina Friday at 7:05 p.m.
