NORMAL, Ill. – In an electric Redbird Arena, packed with 1,800 fans, the Illinois State volleyball team (14-5, 6-1 MVC) opened its five-match home stretch with a 3-1 victory over the visiting Valparaiso Crusaders (18-4, 5-2 MVC) to sit alone in second of the Missouri Valley Conference standings Friday night.
QUOTING COACH JOHNSON
Opening statement…
"I was excited on how we started the match. We were dominate in set one, and played pretty well, but in set two, they flipped the lineup on us. That changed the course of the game, but we stayed true to our game and we felt like we stayed in the match and figured it out. They (Valparaiso) have a no quit attitude and we have a no quit attitude."
On quality of the win…
"By RPI, this is our best win on the season. They are ahead of us by 10 to 12 points in the RPI, so this is a good win for us, and I think this is one that we needed to get."
On team's resiliency in the third set to come back and win it…
"I felt we got a little comfortable in set three, and we couldn't quite find a point. Valparaiso was playing at a high level, tooling our block and moving around really well, and then we settled in. In a timeout, sometimes all it takes is to remind the team that their stuff is good enough. They just need to trust it and dial in."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> Valparaiso notched two quick points to open the set, but the Redbirds settled in with a 5-0 run, kick-started by a service ace by Courtney Pence. Another service ace, this time by Kaylee Martin, had Illinois State at an 8-5 advantage. Heading into the media break, an attack error by the Crusaders, followed by a kill from Ali Line, had the Redbirds sitting at a 15-10 lead at the break. Valparaiso used its first timeout, trailing 18-12, after its seventh attack error. Illinois State was hitting .167 behind kills from Line, Martin, Monica Miller and Lexi Varga, compared to Valparaiso's .067 hitting percentage. Out of the break, the Crusaders regained possession, but a kill by Marissa Stockman pushed the Redbirds to 20 points first for a 20-14 advantage and another Valparaiso timeout. A service ace by Stef Jankiewicz, followed by a block by Stockman and Miller, had the Redbirds at a 22-14 lead, before Miller's third kill sealed the opening frame, 25-15.
Set 2 >> It was a back-and-forth battle in the second set, as the teams exchanged points early on. A block by Stockman and Jankiewicz pushed Illinois State ahead, 5-4. Valparaiso responded with a 4-0 scoring run, forcing the Redbirds to use their first timeout of the set. Out of the break, Illinois State scored four-straight points, which included kills from a trio of Redbirds, to knot the match at eight-all. The Crusaders pulled ahead, 13-11, but Line's team-high sixth kill put the ball back in the hands of the Redbirds. Valparaiso continued its run, but a kill by Varga on an overpass by the Crusaders, helped Illinois State gain some offensive momentum, coming within a point of the visitors. A kill by Martin helped the Redbirds knot the set at 17-all, but Valparaiso reached 20 first, leading 20-18, on a Crusader kill. With Valparaiso sitting two tallies away from set-point, Ella Francis subbed into the match and offered a kill, but the Crusaders held on for a 25-21 second-set win to level the match at one set apiece.
Set 3 >> Illinois State bounced back to start the third set, opening on a 4-0 run behind kills from Stockman and Francis. Valparaiso crawled within one, but Line's seventh kill helped the Redbirds back to a slight cushion. The Crusaders stayed in Illinois State's pocket, but a pair of kills by Stockman gave her nine for the match and kept the Redbirds ahead, 13-10. A long rally was crushed on a kill by Line heading into the media break, with Illinois State leading, 15-12. The Redbirds used a timeout, as the Crusaders came within one as part of a 3-0 scoring run, but Illinois State still held the 19-18 advantage. Valparaiso evened the set at 19-all, before Varga's match-high 13th kill helped the Redbirds regain the lead. It was a back-and-forth battle until the end, as Illinois State took a 2-1 match lead after closing the third set, 25-22, with a kill from Line.
Set 4 >> The Redbirds opened on a 4-1 run, before a service error by Illinois State helped the Crusaders knot the fourth set at six-all. The two teams continued to go back-and-forth, as kill by Sydney Holt gave the Redbirds a 9-8 edge. A set from her knees, Jankiewicz helped Francis notch her ninth kill for a 13-12 advantage by Illinois State. Heading into the media break, Valparaiso crawled back and responded with a 3-0 scoring run to hold a 15-14 lead over the Redbirds. Out of the timeout, Francis tallied her 10th kill, becoming the fourth Redbird to hit double digits in the match. Varga brought Illinois State within one, matching her four-set career-high in kills with 16. A hitting error by the Crusaders helped the Redbirds level the set at 19-all, before a kill by Holt gave Illinois State the lead to force Valparaiso to burn a timeout. Senior Lexi Wallen subbed into the match at set point and delivered with a service ace to seal the fourth set, 25-21, and the match, 3-1.
LEADING THE FLOCK
UP NEXT
Illinois State will continue its home stand tomorrow night against Loyola Chicago. First serve between the Redbirds and the Ramblers is set for 7:30 p.m. In conjunction with Illinois State's Homecoming, fans can take their Redbird football ticket from tomorrow afternoon's game and redeem it for free admission at tomorrow night's volleyball match.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
