MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Illinois State volleyball team (8-2) battled back from a 1-0 deficit on Friday afternoon to take down Tulsa (7-3) in four sets to open the Marquette Invitational with its eighth victory of the season.
QUOTING COACH JOHNSON
On the team's response to playing down 1-0…
"Tulsa tested us in five different ways in every set. Tulsa ran a different lineup that they haven't used all preseason, then they switched to another lineup in the second set. Then, they switched their pins and setters, and we stayed very dialed in to work through all of that to make sure we were still in control when they were so unpredictable. That's good volleyball and we kept our cool about it, and I was really proud of the team and the staff of how they managed all of those changes."
On combined team effort offensively…
"We see that every day in the gym. We put a starting lineup out there, and we still know that we have two and three starters, if not more, on the bench. The nice thing is – we don't need to wait until we are in a desperate situation to make changes. We can make changes when we see a trend. I love their fight coming right off the bench and making a difference for us."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> Monica Miller registered three of Illinois State's four early kills to give the Redbirds an 8-6 lead. Tulsa took its first lead – an 11-10 advantage – but a kill by Lexi Varga knot the set at 11-all. A 5-0 scoring run by the Golden Hurricane forced the Redbirds to use their final timeout. Freshman Marissa Stockman tallied a kill to end Tulsa's scoring run, but the Golden Hurricane responded with a 4-1 scoring run to reach 20 first and hold a seven-point lead over Illinois State. Kaylee Martin stepped into the game and recorded two quick kills, before a Tulsa attack error had the Redbirds within four. With Tulsa sitting at set point, Sydney Holt tallied her first kill of the match to keep the Redbirds in the set and give Illinois State a spark, before the Golden Hurricane held on for the 25-20 opening-set win.
Set 2 >> A pair of service aces by Stef Jankiewicz and Courtney Pence aided in Illinois State's efforts to knot the match at four-all. Tulsa broke free, but the relentless effort by the Redbirds helped Illinois State tie the set back up, before a kill by Varga pushed Illinois State out in front. Tulsa fought back to take a four-point lead, but Varga's fourth kill of the match leveled the set at 16-all as part of a 5-0 scoring eruption by the Redbirds. The Golden Hurricane put Illinois State's run to a halt, but Varga continued making an impact for the Redbirds, helping Illinois State regain its lead with the set tied at 20-all. A service ace from Alyssa Kronberg, followed with a kill by Line, forced Tulsa to burn a timeout with Illinois State leading, 23-20. The Redbirds' fourth service ace of the set, and the match, this time by Line, gave Illinois State the 25-21 set win to level the match at one set apiece.
Set 3 >> Four different Redbirds had a kill for Illinois State to open the third set, as a pair from Martin helped the Redbirds to a 9-4 advantage early on. A 4-0 scoring run by Tulsa forced Illinois State to use a timeout, despite still holding a three-point lead over the Golden Hurricane. Martin's fourth kill of the set, and 10th of the match, helped the newcomer reach double figures for the second time this season to give Illinois State an 18-13 advantage. A kill by Pence – the libero's third of the season – helped the Redbirds reach 20 first, forcing Tulsa to use a timeout with Illinois State ahead, 20-15. A pair of kills by Monica Miller off of the bench brought the Redbirds to set point, before a kill by Stockman sealed the third set for Illinois State, 25-19.
Set 4 >> Tulsa went on a 4-0 scoring run early in the fourth set before Martin's 15th kill of the match put the ball back in possession of Illinois State. A kill by Holt tied the set up at five-all, as both sides battled back-and-forth, not letting a team jump out to more than a two-point lead. A trio of Redbirds – Varga, Martin and Holt – kept Illinois State in control, as a service ace by Line and a pair of mistakes by the Golden Hurricane had the Redbirds at a 15-13 advantage. A dump by Jankiewicz gave Illinois State a 20-15 lead, forcing Tulsa to take its final timeout. Out of the break, Martin matched her four-set Illinois State career-high in kills, notching her game-high 18th kill. A 6-0 run by the Redbirds had Illinois State sitting at match point, but the Golden Hurricane responded with a 5-0 run of their own to extend the match. A tip over the block by Line brought the match to a close with a 25-20 fourth-set win by the Redbirds.
LEADING THE FLOCK
UP NEXT
Illinois State will face its biggest challenges of the season to close its nonconference slate, when it takes on No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 21 Marquette on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, to wrap up the Marquette Invitational.
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