Oct. 24, 2009
Box Score
DES MOINES, Iowa -
It was a historic night for junior Mallory Leggett and senior Kasey Mollerus, but for the second time this season, Illinois State (9-13, 4-7 MVC) lost a 2-1 lead to Drake (18-7, 7-4 MVC). The Redbirds fell in five sets again (25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 25-18, 7-15) Saturday night.
Leggett recorded a double-double with a season-high 21 kills and 14 digs. Her first two kills of the match made her the 18th player in Illinois State history to amass 1,000 in her career. She had a .380 hitting percentage with just two attack errors on 50 swings.
Mollerus had a season-high 29 digs to lead all players and moved past Southern Illinois' Kristy Elswick for fourth place on the MVC career digs list; ending the match with 1,951.
For the second-straight match, the Redbirds had four players with double-digit kills. Joining Leggett were freshman Angela Rego (12), junior Hailey Kelley (10) and sophomore Hailey Kelley (10) for the second night in a row. Senior Jessica Pratapas had 36 set-assists and 10 digs.
"This was a hard fought match," said head coach Melissa Myers. "Drake did a great job at the end of the match, both offensively and defensively. We made a few too many unforced errors late in the match that gave Drake momentum. Mallory had a great performance and she continues to improve each week."
Drake swept the season series for the first time since 1995 and beat ISU in the Knapp Center for the first time sine 1996.
Illinois State had an efficient effort in the first set, hitting .400 percent with 16 kills and just two errors on 35 attacks. The Redbirds used that streamline offense and nine Drake errors to lead the entire set. ISU broke out to a 5-1 lead to start the set. Leggett recorded her historic kill to make the score 9-6. With the score tied at 14, ISU went on a 5-1 run, aided by two Visk kills, to take a four-point lead. Drake came back to within one, but the Redbirds closed it out with a 4-1 run.
It was Drake who took the early lead in the second set, 7-3, and ISU was unable to come back. The Redbirds scored five unanswered points to tie the set at 11, but back-to-back kills maintained the Drake edge. Leggett had consecutive kills to tie the score again at 17, but the Bulldogs answered with four-straight points. Kills from Visk and Rego knotted the score at 23, but a kill and a Redbird attack error gave the set to Drake.
Drake used three blocks to build a 9-4 lead in the third set. A pair of Redbird blocks brought them back within one, 11-10, but the Bulldogs answered with four-straight points to keep the lead at five. The Redbirds came right back with a 7-1 run, aided by four Drake errors, to take their first lead of the set, 17-16. After Drake tied the set at 17, ISU took the win with an 8-3 run, three kills coming from Leggett. Drake committed nine attack errors in the third set.
A 9-0 run gave Drake a commanding 11-4 lead early in the fourth set. Kelley got the Redbirds back into it with back-to-back kills to start a 5-0 run, cutting the deficit down to 13-10. A Visk kill pulled ISU within two, but it was followed by five-straight Drake points to make it 22-15. The Redbirds kept fighting with three points, but Drake closed it out with a pair of kills to force the fifth set. Illinois State committed nine attack errors in the set and never could overcome that early deficit.
A Redbird error, two Drake kills and an ace put the Bulldogs ahead 9-3 in the fifth. The Bulldogs kept that momentum to complete the comeback victory, with their final six points coming on kills. Drake had nine kills, no errors and a .450 hitting percentage in the final set.
Illinois State returns home to face Evansville Friday, Oct. 30, at 7:05 p.m.
