TUCSON, Ariz. – The Illinois State volleyball team swept its second match of the day with a 3-0 win over William & Mary Friday afternoon in the Wildcat Classic at the McKale Center. Illinois State won by scores of 25-14, 25-12, 25-23. The Redbirds earned a 3-0 win over New Mexico State earlier Friday.
Jaelyn Keene led all players with 13 kills and tallied three of Illinois State's season-high nine aces in the win over William & Mary. Lexi Wallen (eight kills) and Sydney Holt (six kills) were among nine Redbirds to register a kill in the win.
Stef Jankiewicz dished out 31 assists and Courtney Pence led all players with 15 digs.
"I am proud of the focused execution from our team," said Illinois State head coach Leah Johnson. "We are trying to build habits at the highest level and today we did that for two matches and six-straight sets. It was a great team effort."
Illinois State (6-6) ran out to an early lead and maintained it throughout the first set. A four-point run broke an early tie and gave the Redbirds an 8-4 lead. Another four-point rally made it a 19-10 advantage, and after William & Mary (2-10) cut the lead to 20-14, Illinois State scored five-straight points to finish off the set, with the final point coming on Keene's sixth kill of the opening set.
The Redbirds kept the momentum in the second set, scoring the first four points. A six-point binge later, capped by a pair of aces from Keene, made it an 18-10 lead. After William & Mary scored the next point, the Redbirds rattled off six in a row to get to set point, and Illinois State won it there thanks to a kill from Ali Line.
The third set was the closet of the night. Illinois State broke an early tie with five-straight points to take an 11-6 lead. William & Mary slowly chipped away at the lead and got within a point at 23-22, but a kill from Juma Armando got the Redbirds to a match point and Keene's 13th kill of the night provided the match winner.
The Redbirds return to the Wildcat Classic Saturday for their final match, against host Arizona, at 3 p.m. CT. Links for live stats and video are available at GoRedbirds.com, and fans can follow @RedbirdVB on Twitter for live updates and more.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
