PEORIA, Ill. – A balanced Illinois State (9-7, 2-2 MVC) offensive attack included five with double-figure efforts in kills and setter Stef Jankiewicz tied a career high with 64 assists, however the Bradley (7-8, 3-1 MVC) block proved formidable and the Braves took the fifth set for a 3-2 win Friday night at the Renaissance Coliseum.
Kaylee Martin led the way for the Redbirds with 19 kills, while freshman Taylor Lynch set a career-high with 16 kills in the match against the Braves. Sarah Kushner (14), Emmy Ogogor (13) and Sydney Holt (11) also finished with double figures in kills for ISU.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> Back-to-back kills by Martin and another by Jakiewicz staked the Redbirds to an 8-4 lead early in the first set. Kills by Lynch and Kushner would maintain the four-point advantage for the Redbirds at 14-10 and the advantage would grow to as much as five points at 16-11 after a Bradley attack error. Two quick points from the Braves trimmed the ISU lead down to three at 16-13, but three-straight points on kills by Martin and Lynch and a service ace from Jankiewicz – her 12th of the season – ballooned the back to six at 19-13. The lead extended to seven points at 23-16 on a kill by Kushner off the pass from Jankiewicz and a kill by Martin put away the first set for the Redbirds, 25-18.
Set 2 >> The two squads traded points to a 5-5 tie to start the second set, before the Braves scored two quick points to go up 7-5. Bradley kept a slight advantage until a kill by Kushner knotted the set up at 10-10. The two teams battled back and forth before Bradley took a two-point advantage at 18-16, but consecutive kills by Martin and Ogogor tied the set up once again at 18-18. The Braves jumped back out to the lead at 22-20, but Jankiewicz came up big with a side out to trim the lead to one. That's as close as ISU would get, as Bradley scored the final three points of the set to win 25-21 and knot the match up at 1-1.
Set 3 >> Illinois State took a quick 3-0 lead to start the third set, thanks to kills by Kushner and Lynch and an attack error by the Braves. A quick turnaround from Bradley would tie the score at 4-4, before Kushner's kill put the lead back in the hands of ISU at 5-4. From there, neither team would hold more than a one-point lead until the Braves scored twice to break a 9-9 tie and take a two-point lead. They maintained that small margin until an ace by Holt – her eighth of the season – tied the set up at 13-13. Bradley would then jump out to a three-point lead at 18-15, before a kill by Ogogor trimmed the deficit to two. A service error by Bradley, followed by a by Holt and a block assist by Holt and Jankiewicz tied things up at 21-21. A pair of kills by Martin staved off two set points by Bradley and tied things up at 24-24, but the Braves got the final two points needed to take set three, 26-24, and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Set 4 >> The fourth set started like the others, with the teams locked in a 2-2 tie. However, that's when things changed as the Redbirds went on a 9-0 run, capped off by a kill from Ogogor, to take an 11-2 advantage. An ace by Martin – her 11th of the season – pushed the lead to 14-3 and back-to-back kills by Kushner and Lynch made the score 17-4 in favor of the Redbirds. The Braves tried to chip away at that wide margin at 17-6, but three-straight points for the Redbirds took the score to 20-6. Bradley got within 12 points at 22-10, but two kills down the stretch by Martin put the set away for the Redbirds at 25-11 to even things up at two sets apiece.
Set 5 >> Kills by Lynch and Ogogor gave the Redbirds a quick 2-0 advantage, but the Braves came right back and scored the next four points to take a 4-2 lead. A kill by Lynch and an attack error by Bradley allowed ISU to tie things up at 6-6, but three-straight points for the Braves put the Redbirds down 9-6. A 4-0 run by Bradley would then make the score 13-7, before a pair of kills by Martin and one from Ogogor made it 14-10. However, Bradley got the final point needed and secured the 3-2 win in five sets over the Redbirds.
LEADING THE FLOCK
• Kills >> Martin (19), Lynch (16)
• Assists >> Stef Jankiewicz (64)
• Digs >> Kaity Weimerskirch (31)
• Blocks >> Sydney Holt (4), Stef Jankiewicz (4)
• Aces >> Stef Jankiewicz (1), Sarah Kushner (1), Sydney Holt (1), Kaylee Martin (1)
UP NEXT
Illinois State will continue its MVC road trip, when it travels to Drake next Friday night, Oct. 11. First serve between the Redbirds and the Bulldog is set for 6 p.m. at the Knapp Center.
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