NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team made school history on Friday night, getting off to its best-ever start in Missouri Valley Conference play with a three-set victory over Loyola. The Redbirds won by scores of 25-22, 25-15, 25-17.
The 13-0 start in MVC play helped the Redbirds maintain their grip on first place in the league standings, while running the team's overall winning streak to 15 matches, a run that is tied for the fifth-longest winning streak in program history.
Senior Kaitlyn Early led the way for the Redbirds with a match-high 35 assists. Junior Ashley Rosch added 12 kills, while freshman Jaelyn Keene tallied nine kills. Senior Stacey Niao chipped in eight kills and 15 digs. Senior Emily Orrick registered a match-high 19 digs.
Illinois State (19-5, 13-0 MVC) jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead in the first set thanks in part to two kills each from Keene and Rosch. The Ramblers (7-16, 3-11 MVC), however, were able to erase the early deficit and kept the score close throughout the rest of the set. Illinois State never relinquished its lead, though, and took a 25-22 first-set victory. Rosch led the way for the Redbirds in the set with five kills, while Early tallied a set-high 12 assists and Orrick notched five digs.
The Redbirds and Ramblers went back-and-forth early in the second set, but a 13-5 run aided by three kills from Rosch midway through the set gave ISU a 20-10 lead. Keene recorded her third kill of the set to finish off the Ramblers in the set. Orrick racked up eight more digs in the set while senior Emily Schneider recorded a pair of blocks.
The Ramblers held a 3-0 lead in the third set before the Redbirds closed the gap and tied it up at 5-all. Loyola continued to trade points throughout the third set, but the Redbirds pulled away late and closed out the match with a 25-17 third-set victory. Niao had a set-high five kills as Early tacked on another 16 assists in the set.
Illinois State held a 6-2 advantage in blocks, while also besting the Ramblers in attacking percentage, .273 to .098.
The Redbirds are back in action Saturday, hosting Bradley at 7 p.m. at Redbird Arena. The match is Illinois State's Pack the Arena match. Admission is free, hot dogs will be only $1 and Illinois State players will be available for post-match autographs.
Saturday's match, and all Illinois State matches this season, can be heard live online at: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/isu/.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.Â
