Aug. 27, 2011
Post-Match Interview with Melissa Myers
OREM, Utah - The Illinois State volleyball team fought another tough five set match at the Wolverine Invitational. Sophomore LeighAnn Hranka recorded 19 kills in the loss against Northern Arizona (25-20, 25-19, 24-26, 19-25, 11-15).
The Redbirds compiled a total of 20 blocks in the match, including seven in the fifth set. Freshman Emily Schneider led the team in blocks in back-to-back matches, while recording a career-high 10 blocks.
"Averaging four blocks a set is huge for our team," head coach Melissa Myers said. "There are a lot of teams who don't average two blocks a set, so that was a significant stat for us."
The match boiled down to a battle of outside hitters. Northern Arizona's outside hitters, Kobi Christensen and Lexi Sullivan, combined for 36 of NAU's 58 kills. Illinois State's Shannon McGlaughlin and Angela Rego added 28 kills for the Redbirds.
"There are a lot of lessons and experiences that this team needs to gain to be able to improve and get better," Myers said. "Although it has been a tough fight, the opportunity to play ten sets like this is fantastic."
Illinois State is schedule to play its final match of the Wolverine Invitational against Cal State Bakersfield at 5:30 p.m. (CST).
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
