CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team (10-4, 2-0 MVC) swept the Southern Illinois Salukis (4-11, 0-2 MVC) for the third time in four outings Saturday night to close its 14-match road stint with a win.
QUOTING COACH JOHNSON
On how SIU challenged the team to start the match…
"First of all, they (Southern Illinois) served the ball tough. Second, they passed in system, and I think we had a good passing game coming into it, but it took us a while to settle into where we wanted to attack. Their fans support them, and it is a fun environment to play in, but we had to make sure we kept our focus."
On what adjustments the team made in the third set…
"We finally got settled into our serving strategy. We moved the ball around a little better and we got into a flow."
On how it feels to be going home…
"It feels foreign, since we have been on the road this entire season. We love Redbird Arena, and we are excited to be home in front of our home crowd and be the home team. It is a phenomenal feeling to play in front of the best fans in the Valley."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> Southern Illinois opened on a 4-2 run to put pressure on Illinois State from the start, as the Redbirds' opening points came from blocks at the net by Marissa Stockman and Lexi Varga. The first kill of the evening came from Ali Line, as Illinois State trailed 6-4 early on. The Salukis maintained the lead until a kill by Stockman knot the set at eight-all, and a double contact by Southern Illinois, gave the Redbirds their first lead of the match. Back-to-back kills by Line helped Illinois State to its largest lead – two points – with the Redbirds out in front, 14-12. The back-and-forth battle continued through the first set, as neither team held more than a one-point advantage over the other for a majority of the set. Stef Jankiewicz's first kill of the night sealed the opening frame, 25-22, for the Redbirds.
Set 2 >> The fight didn't stop in the second set, as the two exchanged points once again. A hitting error by Southern Illinois helped the Redbirds to their largest lead in the second frame, as Illinois State jumped out to a 9-6 advantage. Despite the Salukis crawling their way back into it, Illinois State was able to maintain a four-point lead over Southern Illinois with kills from Varga and Line, who had tallied five kills apiece. Southern Illinois crawled within one, but the Redbirds maintained their composure to keep their lead and jump back out to a four-point advantage, leading the Salukis, 18-14, to force a timeout by the home team. Three-straight points by the Redbirds had Illinois State sitting at a 21-14 lead. Varga's tip brought Illinois State to set point, before the Redbirds grabbed the second set, 25-18, with a service ace.
Set 3 >> Illinois State trailed 1-0 to start set three, and then never looked back, jumping out to a six-point lead to force the Salukis to use a timeout. Leading 12-5, Varga tallied a kill for the Redbirds to keep Illinois State in command, before Southern Illinois started to close in. Still holding a five-point lead, Illinois State used a timeout to talk things over, as a kill by Stockman put the ball back in the hands of the Redbirds. A kill by Sydney Holt forced Southern Illinois to use its last timeout, with Illinois State holding an 18-9 lead. The Redbirds scored the next two points to reach 20 first, before pulling off the sweep of the Salukis with a 25-12 third-set win.
LEADING THE FLOCK
UP NEXT
Illinois State will play its first games at Redbird Arena in 2018, Sept. 28-29, against Evansville and Indiana State, respectively. The Redbirds' long-awaited home opener at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28, will feature a student giveaway. The first 200 students will receive an ISU-branded flag. Vouchers will be passed out on a first-come, first-served basis, and the flags will be distributed between the second and third set against the Purple Aces.
The Redbirds have tabbed Saturday, Sept. 29, as their "Pack the Arena" night. Admission is free for all fans for the 7 p.m. contest against the Sycamores, and will feature a free pre-match yoga session in the Legend's Room at Redbird Arena beginning at 6 p.m. Those that are interested in participating in the yoga are required to bring their own yoga mat. Illinois State's new clear bag policy will be in effect for the yoga session. For more details, please visit GoRedbirds.com/ClearBagPolicy. For kids, there will be a Fun Zone located on the concourse, featuring various games and activities.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
