NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team turned in a season-best hitting percentage as the Redbirds swept the visiting Indiana State Sycamores Friday at Redbird Arena. Illinois State won by scores of 25-19, 25-10, 25-13.
Illinois State posted a .364 team hitting percentage in Friday's win, besting the team's previous top mark of .352, set at Evansville on Sept. 25. Ella Francis (14 kills, .480 hitting percentage) and Juma Armando (13 kills, .550) led the way in Friday's win over Indiana State.Â
Jaelyn Keene and Sydney Holt chipped in eight and nine kills, respectively. Stef Jankiewicz dished out 42 assists in the win, while Courtney Pence led all players with 20 digs.
"I'm just so proud of the way the team played, all the way across the board," said Illinois State head coach Leah Johnson. "Our passing and serving game was phenomenal and I think that tone, so it was a really good match for us."
The opening set featured eight tied scores early in the set. Illinois State broke an 11-11 tie with three-straight points, including back-to-back kills from Francis. The Redbirds never trailed again in the set. Holt tallied six kills in the set and Keene smashed down the set-winner to give the Redbirds an early advantage.
Illinois State (19-11, 12-5 MVC) never trailed in the second set. A four-point run early earned the hosts a 10-4 lead. A five-point binge moments later, which featured an ace from Holt, made it a 17-7 lead. Armando contributed six kills in the set, and was responsible for four of Illinois State's final five points in the set.
An early four-point run in the third set helped Illinois State claim an early lead. Another four-point run, which featured a pair of kills from Francis, stretched the lead to 13-6. After two points from Indiana State (9-20, 7-10), the Redbirds rattled off their longest run of the night, scoring six-straight points to go ahead, 19-8. Armando's 13th kill of the night moments later sealed the sweep.
Illinois State returns to Redbird Arena Saturday night to face Evansville in both teams' regular-season finale, at 7 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets online at GoRedbirds.com/Tickets, by calling (309) 438-8000, or by visiting the ticket office, located at the north entrance to Redbird Arena. Both matches will also be broadcast live as part of The Valley on ESPN3, and links for live stats, audio and video are available at GoRedbirds.com.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
