Sept. 26, 2008
Final Stats
NORMAL, Ill. - Northern Iowa (13-1, 3-0 MVC) took advantage of a sluggish offensive performance by the Illinois State (8-5, 2-1 MVC) volleyball team, and claimed sole possession of first-place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with a convincing three-set sweep (25-21, 25-18, 25-22) at Redbird Arena Friday night.
Peggy Riessen led Illinois State offensively and defensively, with a game-high 11 kills to complement her 17 digs in the loss. Amy Sampson of Northern Iowa recorded 10 kills, while Ellie Blakenship netted a game-high 21 digs.
Illinois State fell behind early in set one, 9-3, and was forced into an early timeout. The Redbirds responded, tying the set at 15-15, forcing Northern Iowa into a timeout of its own. After the timeout, the Panthers pulled away and never relinquished their lead, winning the set 25-21.
Offensively, the Redbirds where led by M.C. Richmond, Katie Culberston and Riessen with four kills apiece. The Panthers were led by Shannon Aschoff and Ashten Stelken, also with four kills, while Blankenship tallied seven digs.
The Redbirds jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the second set, but the Panthers responded with an 11-4 run of their own, building an 11-6 lead. Illinois State battled back to even the match at 15-15 behind the reins of Richmond, who tallied three kills in the 9-4 Redbird run. Stelken once again came through for the Panthers, with five-consecutive service points, the last being an ace, ending the game 25-18. The Redbirds were held to a .049 hitting percentage, while tallying three service errors in the second set.
The two teams traded points for the first 12 points of the third set, before the Panthers went on a 7-3 run, building a 13-9 lead. The Redbirds battled to pull within one, 21-20, but were unable to get any closer, losing the set 25-22. Once again, the Redbirds were held to a .048 hitting percentage in the third set. The Redbirds came into the match hitting .201 as a team.
Illinois State will continue MVC play Sunday against Bradley at 2:05 p.m. in Redbird Arena.
