NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team (12-7, 5-2 MVC) handed its second-straight opponent their first conference loss Friday night, taking down Loyola Chicago (13-7, 6-1 MVC) in four sets.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> Loyola opened on a 7-1 scoring run, as head coach Leah Johnson used a timeout after the Ramblers' second service ace. The Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week Emmy Ogogor registered a pair of kills out of the break, while a block by Sydney Holt and Kaylee Martin brought the Redbirds within four. Sitting at a 17-10 deficit, ISU used its final timeout, before the Redbirds responded with a 4-0 scoring run with kills from Taylor Lynch and Sarah Kushner. Despite a late-set comeback from ISU, Loyola held on to take the opening frame, 25-19.
Set 2 >> Illinois State's tough serving came alive in the second set, as a serve by Martin fell between two Rambler defenders to put ISU out in front, 4-2. The Redbirds kept a two-point advantage on Lynch's third kill of the match, while a Kushner kill helped ISU to a 13-9 lead to force Loyola to call a timeout. A kill from Holt kept ISU ahead by five, while the junior teamed up with Monica Miller to push the Redbirds ahead, 18-12, with the team's sixth block. An attacking error by the Ramblers helped the Redbirds respond with a 25-19 second-set win to level the match at one-all.
Set 3 >> Loyola jumped out to an early lead in the third, before Martin's fifth kill brought ISU within one. A block by Ogogor and Kushner gave the Redbirds their first lead of the set. Out of a Loyola-called timeout, ISU continued to run up the score, as Martin delivered back-to-back service aces. The Ramblers used their final timeout with the Redbirds on a 9-0 scoring run, before back-to-back aces from Allie Otten pushed ISU to set point. An attacking error by Loyola helped the Redbirds secure the third set, 25-13.
Set 4 >> A kill by Lynch gave ISU an early 5-3 advantage in the deciding set to become the third Redbird to register seven kills in the match. Loyola responded with a 3-0 scoring run to level the set at six-all, before another kill by Kushner ended their run. The back-and-forth battle continued, as Martin's team-leading ninth kill knot the set back at 11. Lynch registered her second kill of the set to help the Redbirds to a one-point edge, before the MVC Player of the Week Heather Kocken's seventh attacking error pushed ISU ahead, 15-13, going into the media break. The Ramblers crawled back to take a 21-20 advantage, before the Redbirds closed on a 5-0 run to take the set, 26-24.
LEADING THE FLOCK
UP NEXT
Illinois State will take on Valparaiso tomorrow night at 5 p.m., before hitting the road to close the month of October at Southern Illinois (Oct. 25) and Missouri State (Oct. 26).
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