WACO, Texas – The Leah Johnson era started with a win Friday as the Illinois State volleyball team earned a 3-0 win over UC Santa Barbara at the Hampton Inn & Suites Waco North Baylor Invitational. Illinois State won by scores of 25-19, 25-23, 25-15 at Baylor's Ferrell Center in Johnson's first match as head coach of the Redbirds.
Jaelyn Keene and Lexi Wallen paced the Redbird offense with 12 and 13 kills, respectively. Ella Francis added eight kills. Freshman setter Stef Jankiewicz dished out a match-high 30 assists.
Redbird passers did their part as well, as Courtney Pence led all players with 26 digs. Kendal Meier and Lexi Varga added 13 digs apiece, while Wallen chipped in 11 digs to go along with her 13 kills for the match's only double-double.
"It was an excellent team effort. I'm very proud to see our team so committed to our process," Johnson said. "Stef handled the offense exceptionally well for her first collegiate appearance. We were balanced and aggressive and I'm excited to see this team continue to grow."
Illinois State (1-0) fell behind early in the first set as UCSB (0-1) used a five-point run to go ahead at 11-7.The Redbirds fought back after a timeout, scoring four of the next five points to get within a point of the lead, and went ahead with a 7-1 run that gave Illinois State a 19-16 advantage. A kill from Varga and a solo block from Ali Line helped the Redbirds stay ahead, and a double block from Keene and Jankiewicz on set point gave the Redbirds a 1-0 lead in the match.
Momentum carried over into the second set. A five-point binge early flipped a two-point deficit into a three-point lead for the Redbirds at 7-4. The Gouchos later tied it up at 9-9, but a 6-1 surge staked the Redbirds to a 15-10 advantage. UCSB came back to knot it up again, at 18-18, but the Redbirds closed the door as Keene and Wallen combined for six kills late in the set, the final one coming from Wallen on set point.
The Redbirds continued to play an assertive brand of volleyball in the third set. A five-point run early gave the Redbirds a 9-5 lead. UCSB kept it close, but a pair of 4-1 Illinois State runs helped the Redbirds pull away. Illinois State then finished the match on a four-point run, the final point coming on a Francis kill on match point.
The Redbirds return to action Saturday at the Baylor Invitational, with matches versus No. 15 Florida State and host Baylor at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., respectively. Links for live video (at Baylor) and live stats (both matches) are available at GoRedbirds.com, and fans can follow @RedbirdVB on Twitter for live updates and more.
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