Sept. 4, 2010
Box Score l Post-Match Birdcast
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Illinois State (4-2) nearly pulled off its second comeback of the season after losing the first two sets of a match, but fell just short against Indiana (5-0), losing 3-2 (20-25, 20-25, 25-18, 25-19, 14-16) at the IU adidas Classic. The Redbirds had match-point in the fifth set, but surrendered four-straight points to the Hoosiers to lose their second five-set match of the tournament.
"We certainly know how to come from behind, but we are having difficulty getting out to a lead and staying on top," said ISU head coach Melissa Myers. "It is something that is hard to train for and we will hopefully learn how necessary it is after these first two loses of the tournament. I love how we were able to come back in the third and fourth sets. The ability to fight back from being down so early is a great quality our team has shown. After the break between the second and third sets, we were able to calm down and be more patient with our approach."
Senior Mallory Leggett recorded a season-high 20 kills along with seven digs, two blocks and two aces. She was the only Redbird with double-digit kills, as senior Hailey Kelley and freshman Shannon McGlaughlin had nine each and junior Tabitha Visk added eight. McGlaughlin also had a career-high 12 digs. Junior Kristin Stauter had 43 set-assists, five kills and two aces.
The Redbirds' offense was inconsistent against Indiana, posting a .333 hitting percentage in the two sets they won and a .098 hitting percentage in the three set losses.
Illinois State lost the first two sets by the score of 25-20. Indiana dominated the offensive performance with 28 kills, seven errors and a .313 hitting percentage, compared to Illinois State's 22 kills, 15 errors and .103 hitting percentage.
Illinois State held a two-point edge through the early going of the third set until three-straight Hoosier points tied the score at 13. Sophomore Laura Wakefield served a 5-0 Redbird run, providing two service aces, to put ISU ahead, 22-16. Leggett recorded the final kill to give ISU its first set win, 25-18. The Redbird offense showed a tremendous turnaround in the third set with 16 kills and no errors for a hitting-percentage of .485.
Aces were the deciding factor in the fourth set, with the Redbirds recording five. With a one-point lead, Menendez and Stauter each recorded back-to-back aces to put ISU ahead, 12-7. A kill, a block and an ace by Leggett stretched the lead to 15-8. Indiana answered with five-straight points to pull within two and had three more kills to cut the ISU lead down to one point, 18-17. Illinois State didn't relinquish the lead, using four Leggett kills and a pair of blocks to win the set, 25-19, and tie the match.
The fifth set had five ties through the first 14 points and ISU managed to reach 10 first with a slight lead, 10-8. Two blocks by Visk extended the Redbird lead to 13-8, but Indiana came right back with two kills and two blocks after a timeout to pull within one. Leggett stopped the run with a kill to give ISU match-point, but hit the ensuing serve into the net. An Indiana ace tied the score at 14 and sent the final set into extra points. Indiana ended it quickly with a block and a kill to take the set, 16-14, and stave off the Redbird comeback.
Illinois State finishes the IU adidas Classic against Arkansas State at 4:30 p.m. GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, TRC gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
