NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team (16-5, 8-1 MVC) finished the first half of Missouri Valley Conference play Monday night with a 3-1 victory over I-74 rival Bradley (16-5, 6-3 MVC) to improve to 5-0 at Redbird Arena this season.
QUOTING COACH JOHNSON
Overall thoughts on the match…
"I think set four is how we expected the match to be all night. We said all week that Bradley is a good team, and that we were going to have to play our best three matches in a row this weekend. I don't know that we played our best the whole match, but we played in moments, and the chess match of strategy throughout the entire match kept changing. That's what the top of the Valley looks like – kudos to Bradley. I thought they dug a ton of balls, which made it hard to score, but I thought the team stayed gritty in different ways to keep our offense as balanced as possible."
On what was key when regaining momentum in the fourth set…
"I thought Sydney (Holt) came in and took a few big swings to really light a fire. I thought our serving was more aggressive the second-half of that set, which put pressure on them (Bradley) in a different way."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> A solo block by Ali Line, followed by the senior's second kill, helped Illinois State open with a 7-4 lead over the Braves. A Bradley kill, paired with a net violation by the Redbirds, knot the set at seven-all, before Line ripped her third kill on four attempts across the court to give Illinois State the lead again. The Braves quickly regained the lead, but a service ace by Alyssa Kronberg helped the Redbirds match their largest lead – three points. A kill by Marissa Stockman had Illinois State sitting at a 15-13 advantage at the media break. Back-to-back attack errors by Bradley brought the Braves to double-digit errors. The Redbirds closed on a 5-0 run to take the opening set in its fourth-straight match, winning 25-17.
Set 2 >> The Redbirds continued their run to start the second set, opening on a 6-1 pace, forcing Bradley to make a substitution. With Illinois State leading 9-3, the Braves used their first timeout, before Line, Lexi Varga and Stef Jankiewicz teamed up for back-to-back-to-back blocks at the net to help the Redbirds to a commanding 12-3 advantage. Another Redbird block as part of a 4-0 scoring run pushed Illinois State to a 17-6 lead, before Bradley began cutting into the home team's lead. Out of an Illinois State called timeout, the Redbirds were able to secure the second set, 25-17, on back-to-back kills by Varga.
Set 3 >> Bradley responded in the third set, opening on a 5-0 scoring run. Back-to-back kills by Line and Monica Miller gave the Redbirds some life, but the Braves quickly regained control, holding a 7-2 lead over Illinois State. The Braves maintained their lead until back-to-back kills by Varga leveled the set at 10-all. Despite hitting just .098 for the match, Bradley pulled out to an 18-14 advantage, forcing Illinois State to use a timeout. The Braves continued their scoring run, reaching 20 first, but Varga's eighth kill of the match put the ball back in the hands of the Redbirds, before Bradley took the third set, 25-18.
Set 4 >> Sydney Holt started on the right side for the Redbirds to start the fourth set, and registered a kill in the first point to get Illinois State's offense started. Two kills by Bradley gave them a slim 6-5 lead, before Line's match-high 12th kill on an overpass by the Braves evened the set at six-all. After an attack error, Varga responded with her 10th kill to reach double digits for the second time in three matches, to level the set back up. Bradley came within two points of the Redbirds, but Illinois State ran Holt up the middle to give the home team life again and help them keep its cushion. With the Braves within one point of the Redbirds, Illinois State called a timeout, as Bradley knot the set at 14-all out of the break. A service error by the Braves helped Illinois State regain the lead, as it was a race to 20 points. Bradley reached 20 first, but a kill by Varga knot the set up at 20-all. An attack error committed by the Braves pushed Illinois State ahead by one, as Bradley burned a timeout. A kill by Line out of the timeout even the set for the 14th time, before Illinois State sealed the fourth set, 26-24.
LEADING THE FLOCK
UP NEXT
Illinois State will wrap up its five-match home stand next weekend with a pair of contests against Southern Illinois and Missouri State.
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