EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Illinois State volleyball team posted a season-best .352 hitting percentage to earn a 3-0 victory over Evansville Monday night at Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
Jaelyn Keene led all players with 17 kills and three service aces. Nine Redbirds tallied at least one kill, including Stef Jankiewicz and Briana Kipp, who each went 3-for-3 on attack attempts.
Jankiewicz also led all players with 30 assists. Courtney Pence collected a match-high 16 digs. Jankiewicz and Pence were named MVC Players of the Week earlier Monday.
Illinois State (9-7, 2-1 MVC) scored the first five points of the opening set and never looked back. The Redbirds recorded aces in the set, including two each from Pence and Jankiewicz.
Evansville (6-8, 0-2) led early in the second set until a six-point spree gave the Redbirds an 11-6 lead. A five-point run later in the set extended the lead to 22-12. A kill from Keene got the Redbirds to a set point and another from Lexi Wallen gave the Redbirds a 2-0 lead in the match.
Illinois State used another pair of big runs to win the third set. A five-point run early on broke a 4-4 tie and gave the Redbirds a 9-4 advantage. A six-point run late got the Redbirds to a set point and Keene's 17th kill of the match sealed the sweep.
The Redbirds are back in action this weekend with matches at Drake on Friday and No. 23 Northern Iowa on Saturday. Both will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Links for live stats and video are available at GoRedbirds.com, and fans can follow @RedbirdVB on Twitter for live updates and more.
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