Oct. 3, 2009
Box Score
EVANSVILLE, Ind. -
In a tightly-contested match, Illinois State (7-10, 2-4 MVC) could not outlast Evansville (10-7, 3-2 MVC), falling to the Purple Aces in five sets (25-20, 21-25, 25-19, 17-25, 5-15) Saturday night. Freshman Angela Rego led the Redbirds with a career-high 19 kills, but the Redbird offense stalled in the final two sets as they lost a 2-1 lead.
"Evansville had a great night at the net and in the backcourt. They really blocked well and played great defense," said ISU head coach Melissa Myers. "Every match in the Valley has been tough so far and will continue to be tough with every team fighting for a spot in the tournament. Offensively, we only hit .121, which was in part due to Evansville's defense, but is also a sign that we need to continue to develop offensively."
Rego had 12 of her kills in the third and fourth sets and also had a career-best eight digs. Sophomore Tabitha Visk recorded double-digit kills for the second time on the weekend with 12. Junior Hailey Kelley added eight kills.
The Redbirds had 13 blocks in the match, led by six each from Kelley and senior Katie Seyller. Junior Katie Culbertson collected five blocks, including the team's lone solo.
Sophomore Kristin Stauter had 45 set-assists, 12 digs and two service aces. Senior Kasey Mollerus had a team-high 16 digs and sophomore Laura Wakefield added 14.
Evansville utilized 67 kills and 14 blocks to beat Illinois State for just the second time in 31 all-time matches. The Purple Aces excelled in the fourth and fifth sets, collecting 17 and 11 kills and hitting .371 and .588, respectively.
Kills from three different players gave ISU a 6-3 lead in the opening set. The Purple Aces tied the set at 10 with five kills, but the Redbirds maintained the edge. A 5-0 run consisting of three-straight kills, an ace and a block brought ISU to set point, 24-17. Evansville rattled off three points before Stauter capped the set win with a kill. ISU had 17 kills in the first set, four each from Kelley and Visk.
The second set was close early on with seven ties through the first eight points. A 5-0 run put the Redbirds ahead, 12-8. Evansville slowly chipped away at the deficit and pulled ahead, 20-19, with a kill. The score tied twice, before the Aces took the set with four-straight points. The Redbirds had just eight kills and seven attack errors in the second set; while Evansville had 15 kills.
Junior Mallory Leggett suffered a sprained ankle injury midway through the second set and did not play the remainder of the match.
The third set started out just as tight, with six ties through the first 10 points. ISU used three blocks in 6-0 run to pull ahead, 14-10. Evansville pulled within two points, but kills by Kelley and Rego and then a block by the duo kept the Redbirds ahead, 20-15. Rego finished off the set with three kills, giving her a total of eight of ISU's 14 kills in the set.
Evansville used five kills and three blocks to build a 10-3 lead in the fourth set. Rego took over with three kills and an ace to help cut deficit down to 16-13. Evansville answered quickly with five unanswered points and had three more kills to take the set, 25-17. The Purple Aces had 17 kills and a .371 hitting percentage in the set.
Evansville carried the momentum into the fifth set, using six kills and a block to run out to an 8-1 lead. Culbertson recorded two kills and a solo block to cut the deficit down to 11-5. The Purple Aces won the set and the match with four-straight points, three coming on kills.
Illinois State hosts Bradley Friday at 7:05 p.m.
