CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Illinois State volleyball team won both of its matches at the Harvard Invitational Saturday at Malkin Athletic Center, finishing the weekend with a 3-0 record to win the round-robin tournament.
Illinois State topped Harvard in straight sets by scores of 25-18, 25-22, 25-16 early Saturday afternoon. Less than two hours later, the Redbirds rallied for five-set win over Rutgers, thanks to a career night from Ashley Rosch, who recorded career highs in kills, points and aces. Illinois State beat Rutgers by scores of 25-19, 25-27, 25-12, 22-25, 15-11.
Rosch was named the Tournament MVP, while Jaelyn Keene and Lexi Varga were all-tournament team selections.
"Overall, we had a great team effort this weekend," said Illinois State head coach Melissa Myers. "They worked well together and did a great job of finishing matches strong."
Illinois State at Harvard
Keene paced the Redbirds with a match-high 16 kills, while Rosch posted a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs. Jordan Weatherless and Jacqueline Twing added 17 assists each, while Courtney Pence led the team with 13 digs.
The Redbirds jumped out to an early lead and fought off a late comeback bid by the Crimson in the first set. Illinois State led by as many as nine points at 14-5, but the tournament hosts used a 7-2 run to fight back. Illinois State finished strong, though, and finished off the first set with back-to-back kills from Varga.
Harvard controlled the pace early in the second set before the Redbirds tied the score midway through the set. ISU eventually pushed ahead, only to see Harvard come back to tie it at 19-19. The Redbirds scored six of the next nine points, however, to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Each team had a big run early in the third set – Illinois State had a 7-1 rally and Harvard went on a five-point binge – to knot the score up at 10-10. The Redbirds took control from that point, though, and scored the final six points of the set to close out the match.
Illinois State vs. Rutgers
Rosch registered career highs in kills (26), points (32.5) and aces (5) to propel the Redbirds to a five-set win over Rutgers in the Redbirds' second match of the day.
Aly Dawson and Varga added 12 and 13 kills, respectively, while Ali Line chipped in nine kills and three blocks. Weatherless dished out 34 assists and Pence tallied 24 digs.
Rutgers led early in the first set until the Redbirds took the lead at 13-12 and never trailed again. Key kills down the stretch from Dawson, including the set-winner, helped the Redbirds take a 1-0 lead.
Neither team held a lead of more than three points in the second set. The Redbirds got a set point at 24-22 after a kill from Dawson, but Rutgers scored two-straight points to tie the score at 24-24, and fought off another set point moments later before scoring two more to even the match at one set apiece.Â
Illinois State never trailed in the third set, using a five-point run midway through the set to pull away.
Rutgers bounced back in the fourth set. With the score tied at 20-20, the Scarlet Knights got a pair of service aces and a kill to go up by three points at 23-20. They got to a set point with a kill from Eden Frazier, and forced a fifth set two points later after an Illinois State attacking error.
The Redbirds scored four-straight points early in the fifth set to take a 7-4 lead. Varga contributed a pair of key kills down the stretch and Rosch sealed the win by recording kills on Illinois State's final two points.
Illinois State is back in action next weekend as it hosts the Country Financial Redbird Classic, Sept. 11-12. The Redbirds will welcome in IUPUI, Toledo and Youngstown State for the round-robin tournament. Links for live video, audio and stats for both matches can be found at GoRedbirds.com, and fans can receive live updates from the matches via Twitter, by following @RedbirdVB.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.Â
