NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team dropped the first set of its Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal match to Valparaiso Thursday night, but the feisty Redbirds climbed out of the early hole to earn a 3-1 win and advance to the tournament semifinals. Illinois State won Thursday's match by scores of 23-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-19.
The No. 3 seed Redbirds (21-11) will face No. 2 Northern Iowa (25-7) Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Redbird Arena.
Five Redbirds reached double digits in kills Thursday night as Jaelyn Keene led the way with 14 kills. Setter Stef Jankiewicz shared the wealth as her 51 assists were distributed evenly among Keene, Ella Francis (13 kills), Sydney Holt (12), Juma Armando (11) and Ali Line (10).
Courtney Pence tallied 32 digs in Thursday's match and set Illinois State's single-season digs record, upping her 2017 total to 754.
Keene led the Redbirds with five blocks. Keene, Pence and Lexi Wallen registered two service aces each.
"That was the best Valpo we've seen. They've been better every time we've played them," said Illinois State head coach Leah Johnson. "I was so pleased with how we stayed in it, mentally. It would have been easy when it was point-for-point-for point to drop a set, to get a little discouraged, and I thought we came out really hot in set two, and maintained it through the rest of the match. It was good volleyball."
A close opening set, which featured nine tied scores and three lead changes, turned when No. 6 seed Valpo (17-16) went on a 7-2 run to turn a two-point deficit into a three-point lead at 21-18. Valpo got to a set point at 24-22, and although the Redbirds fought off the Crusaders' first set point opportunity, Valpo cashed in on the next with a kill from Katherine Carlson.
Illinois State bounced back in the second set, though. After trading leads early, the Redbirds took control with a six-point run that produced an 18-13 lead. The Redbirds then finished strong, scoring seven of the final eight points in the set, with two coming from Holt and the set-winner from Francis.
The third set saw both teams lead early until a 7-1 Redbird run gave the hosts a 16-11 advantage. Valpo ran off four-straight points to get back within a point of the lead, though, but never came closer the rest of the way. A kill from Francis on set point gave the Redbirds a 2-1 lead in the match.
Valpo led early in the fourth set, but Illinois State stormed to the lead, thanks to a 12-3 run that sent the Redbirds to a 14-8 advantage. The Crusaders eventually got back within two points at 21-19, but Illinois State scored the final four points of the match, on kills from Line and Holt, and a service ace from Wallen on match point.
The winner of Illinois State and UNI Friday night will face the winner of No. 5 Indiana State and No. 1 Missouri State, who will face off at 5 p.m. in the early match. 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.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
