Nov. 25, 2010
Box Score
Post-Match Interview with Melissa Myers
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -
Four players recorded double-digit kills and ISU totaled 12 blocks to lead the fifth-seeded Redbirds to an upset over fourth-seeded Missouri State in four sets (25-19, 18-25, 25-18, 25-21) in the State Farm MVC Tournament Quarterfinals.
Illinois State advances to the tournament semifinals and will face top-seed Northern Iowa Friday at 7 p.m. The Redbirds won their first MVC Tournament match since the 2007 season.
Freshman LeighAnn Hranka led Illinois State with 13 kills and also had five block assists. Senior Hailey Kelley tied her season-high with 11 kills and also had four block assists. Senior Mallory Leggett and freshman Shannon McGlaughlin were the other two Redbirds with double-digit kills, adding 10 each. Junior Tabitha Visk had two solo blocks and six block assists.
Junior Kristin Stauter had 47 set-assists and four kills. Sophomore Jenny Menendez had a match-high 21 digs.
"This is a fantastic win for us," said head coach Melissa Myers. "Missouri State played fantastic in the second set, getting 10 more kills than we did, but we regrouped in the intermission and came out strong in the final two sets. Our defense was great, getting some key digs and starting out each set with a block. I am really proud with how we executed in the end tonight."
Kills by Leggett and McGlaughlin and a Visk ace helped ISU build a 5-1 lead to start the opening set. Consecutive blocks by Kelley and Stauter made the score 9-4. The Redbirds continued to pour it on, with a pair of Leggett kills extending the lead to 15-8. Missouri State chipped away at the deficit, cutting it down to four, but a pair of kills and an ace from junior Laura Wakefield brought the lead back to seven, 21-14. A Visk kill gave ISU set point and two points later, Hranka finished it with a kill, 25-19. ISU hit .303 in the set, with 14 kills and four errors on 33 attacks.
Three-straight Missouri State kills turned a one-point second set into a four-point Lady Bear lead, 9-5. ISU answered with five-straight points, including three-consecutive blocks by Hranka and Visk, to regain the lead, 10-9. Three Lady Bear kills and two ISU errors put Missouri State back on top, 16-13. Kills by Hranka and McGlaughlin pulled ISU within one, but MSU answered with four points to make it 20-15. Two kills, a block and an attack error brought MSU to set point. After a McGlaughlin kill, a Redbird blocking error gave the set to Missouri State, 25-18. Missouri State had a 19-9 advantage in kills in the second set.
Another Hranka-Visk block started the scoring in the third set and kills by three different players made it 4-1 Redbirds. Two more kills and an MSU attack error stretched the lead to 8-3. Missouri State cut the deficit down to two points three times, but ISU responded with a kill each time. A 4-0 Redbird run, highlighted by Visk and Hranka's fifth block, gave ISU a seven-point advantage, 17-10. MSU came back with a 4-1 run that was almost five, but a Lady Bear block fell just outside the end line to keep ISU ahead, 19-14. A Leggett kill and a block made it 21-14 Redbirds. Missouri State tried to come back, but in the end, two Lady Bear attack errors won it for ISU, 25-18. Illinois State led the entire third set, with only one tie (1-1).
The Redbird defense was on display to start the fourth set, with the first three points coming on blocks. Visk started it with a solo block and then combined with Leggett and Stauter on the other two. Visk added a kill and another solo block to fuel five-straight points that gave ISU an 8-2 lead. Consecutive kills by Kelley stretched the lead to seven, 11-4. Missouri State pulled within four, 15-11, and the teams traded the next four points before an ISU attack error made the score 17-14. Four-straight Redbird points stretched the Redbird lead to 22-16. Missouri State clawed back with a 4-1 run, but a service error gave ISU match point. Hranka won the set again with a kill, 25-21.
