PULLMAN, Wash. – The Illinois State volleyball team (7-2) swept its fifth opponent of the season on Saturday morning, closing the Cougar Challenge, hosted by nationally-ranked Washington State, with a three-set victory over McNeese (0-10).
QUOTING COACH JOHNSON
On contribution from Lexi Varga and Sydney Holt
"Our team has depth and that's a strength for us. One of our best advantages is that we can make a change and it doesn't hurt our play. We have starters sitting on the bench, and it was good that we were able to put Sydney into the match and she contributed for us. Also, having the option to move Lexi into the starting lineup this weekend was important for our team."
On Ali Line's presence at the net…
"It was good to see Ali score behind the setter today. Last night, we struggled to get that going for her, but today, she found her own points and made adjustments. Ali came in with great focus, and it is signs of a good leader when someone responds and adjusts to the situation."
On improved team serving…
"Serving is going to be a main focus for us moving into this week of practice. One of our goals is to control the serve and pass game, but we need to make it more of an aggressive aspect. This week, we will look for more growth in that area of the game."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> McNeese tallied the first point of the match, but the Redbirds never trailed after that in the first set. With a two-point lead over the Cowgirls, Illinois State was holding McNeese to a .000 hitting percentage. Illinois State jumped out to its largest lead of the set, forcing the Cowgirls to use a timeout with the Redbirds leading, 17-12. McNeese scored two quick points out of the break, but the Redbirds responded with an 8-2 run, with a service ace by Stef Jankiewicz securing the opening set for Illinois State, 25-16. The Redbirds held McNeese to a .086 hitting percentage in the opening frame, while Illinois State was hitting .290 with a team-high four kills from Ali Line.
Set 2 >> Line continued to have a presence at the net, as the senior registered her third solo block of the match to put Illinois State ahead, 4-3. The Redbirds continued to run up the score, as a 6-0 run by Illinois State with a pair of kills from Line and Lexi Varga forced McNeese to burn a timeout with the Redbirds leading, 12-4. The Redbirds were the first to reach 20 with a 4-0 scoring run on a kill from Marisa Stockman and Sydney Holt, and a pair of attacking errors by McNeese, to hold a 20-11 second-set lead. Stockman's fourth kill brought the Redbirds to set point, ending a 4-0 scoring run by the Cowgirls, before Holt's third kill sealed the second set for Illinois State, 25-19.
Set 3 >> Illinois State opened the third set on a 6-1 run, with kills from Stockman, Varga and Holt. McNeese responded with a small scoring run, before Line matched a career-high 11 kills with the Redbirds out in front, 11-6. Back-to-back serving aces by Jankiewicz extended the Illinois State lead to eight points, to give her a team-leading three in the match. McNeese went on a 3-0 scoring run to pull within five of the Redbirds, but an 18-13 lead by Illinois State kept the Redbirds ahead of the Cowgirls. Line's career-high 12th kill of the match helped Illinois State charge to a 23-15 advantage, before the Redbirds secured the sweep with a 25-17 third-set win.
LEADING THE FLOCK
STAT OF THE MATCH
- Illinois State's fifth sweep of the season and 7-2 overall record matches its best start since the 2015 season.
UP NEXT
Illinois State will wrap up its challenging nonconference slate next weekend, when it travels to the Marquette Invitational. The Redbirds will face two top-25 programs in Wisconsin and Marquette, who are currently No. 2 and No. 25, respectively, as well as Tulsa.
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