COLUMBIA, Mo. – Illinois State won the first set but came up short in the next three as host Missouri scored a four-set win over the Redbirds on Friday night at the Tiger Invitational. Missouri won by scores of 22-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-13.
The Redbirds split a pair of matches on Friday, having defeated Oakland in a four-set match earlier Friday.
Jaelyn Keene led the Redbirds with 11 kills, four blocks and a pair of service aces in the loss to Missouri. Ashley Rosch added 10 kills and nine digs, while Annchara Montgomery chipped in eight kills and three blocks. Kaitlyn Early distributed 37 assists and Emily Orrick recorded a match-high 34 digs.
Illinois State never trailed in the opening set against Missouri. After the teams traded points early, ISU used a 5-0 run to take a 14-8 lead. The Tigers battled back to within two points at three separate junctures, but the Redbirds claimed the 25-22 first-set win with a kill from Keene.
Missouri used a series of rallies to pull away in the second, third and fourth sets. The Tigers won the second set on the strength of a 12-0 run that took the Tigers from an 8-7 deficit to a 19-8 advantage. The third and fourth sets followed the same blueprint as the hosts used runs of five- and seven-straight points, respectively, to earn the victory.
The Redbirds topped Oakland in a four-set match earlier Friday, winning by scores of 25-20, 23-25, 25-14, 25-22.
Keene led the Redbirds with team-high totals of 14 kills and 10 blocks, while recording a hitting percentage of .522, against Oakland. Rosch and Stacey Niao tallied 12 kills apiece, and Rosch led the Redbirds with three service aces. Early dished out a match-high 48 assists and Orrick had a match-best 15 digs.
The Redbirds are back in action Saturday with matches against Xavier, at 12 p.m., and Lipscomb, at 4 p.m.
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