DES MOINES, Iowa – The Illinois State volleyball team fought back after dropping the first two sets but host Drake won a back-and-forth fifth set in a highly competitive matchup of Missouri Valley Conference contenders Friday at the Knapp Center. Drake won by scores of 25-19, 25-22, 20-25, 24-26, 15-13.
Illinois State's Jaelyn Keene led all players with 23 kills, just one shy of her career high, while eight other Redbirds tallied four or more kills. Keene also tallied a team-high seven blocks in the match.
Redbird setter Stef Jankiewicz dished out 55 assists. Libero Courtney Pence notched 42 digs, tied for the second most in a match in Illinois State history.
"We battled back after a rough start and were in the driver's seat in the fifth set," said Illinois State head coach Leah Johnson. "We are putting ourselves in the right position and need to trust the game plan to finish."
The first set was tight early until Drake (14-3, 3-0 MVC) took command with a five-point run that gave the hosts a 17-11 lead. Illinois State (9-8, 2-2) got back within four points late, at 21-17, but the Bulldogs scored the next two points coming out of a timeout and later won the set with a kill from Odessa Cody.
Illinois State shot out to a 5-1 lead in the second set, but Drake caught the Redbirds quickly and tied it up at 8-8. The Redbirds took a late lead until a 5-1 run by Drake gave the hosts a 22-20 lead. Illinois State fought off one set point with a kill from Machayla Leonard, but a Redbird attack error on the next point gave Drake a 2-0 lead heading into the break.
Both teams led early in the third set but Illinois State grabbed control with a seven-point spree that extended a 9-8 lead to a 16-8 advantage. Though Drake answered with four-straight points, the Redbirds matched the Bulldogs the rest of the way and extended the match with a kill from Juma Armando on set point.
Illinois State continued its comeback in the fourth set. Drake used a 6-1 rally late to take a 21-18 lead, but Illinois State answered with kills from Armando and Lexi Varga. Back-to-back-to-back kills from Keene tied it up at 23-23. After Drake fought off a set point, Keene pounded down another kill and then provided the set winner by teaming up with Jankiewicz on a set-winning block.
The Redbirds started strong in the fifth set, taking a 7-4 lead thanks to back-to-back kills from Varga. But with Illinois State leading at 12-11, the Bulldogs finished the match scoring four of the final five points, the match winner coming on a kill from Cathryn Cheek.
The Redbirds are back in action Saturday night at No. 22 Northern Iowa. The match at the McLeod Center begins at 7 p.m. and 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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