DAYTON, Ohio – The Illinois State volleyball team's eight-match winning streak came to an end with a 3-1 loss at Dayton in both teams' first match at the Flyer Invitational Friday night at the Frericks Center.
Illinois State won the first set before Dayton claimed the final three, winning the match by scores of 20-25, 25-20, 25-13, 27-25.
Ashley Rosch led the Redbirds with 15 kills and 13 digs. Jordan Weatherless and Jacqueline Twing dished out 16 and 17 assists, respectively, and Courtney Pence registered a match-high 23 digs.
"Dayton showed their experience tonight, rebounding strong after the first set," said Illinois State head coach Melissa Myers. "We made some great plays and had a nice comeback in the fourth set, but ultimately we didn't execute consistently enough throughout the match to get this one."
Illinois State (8-3) used a seven-point run early to take control of the first set, turning a 3-1 deficit into an 8-3 lead. Dayton (5-5) trimmed an Illinois State lead that reached as many as seven points down to just three points, at 20-17, but the Redbirds scored three-straight points out of a timeout and clinched the set with a kill from Rosch.
The Flyers shot out to an early 11-2 lead in the second set and never looked back. Illinois State tried to close the gap but could get no closer than four points from the lead as Dayton cruised to a second-set win.
Dayton maintained the momentum it built in the second set, scoring the first five points of the third set. The Flyers were never seriously threatened on their way to winning the most uneven set of the match.
The fourth set followed a similar script early on, as Dayton again scored the first five points of the set. Illinois State slowly chipped away, though, eventually tying the score before taking a 23-19 lead. Dayton fought back to tie the score at 24-24, and then 25-25, twice fighting off Illinois State set points. The Flyers then scored the final two points to claim the set and the match.
The Redbirds return to action Saturday at the Flyer Invitational with matches against Jacksonville, at 9 a.m. CT, and Eastern Michigan, at 3 p.m. CT. Links for live stats and audio can be found at GoRedbirds.com and fans can receive live updates by following @RedbirdVB on Twitter.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
