NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team (7-1) won its fifth-straight match Saturday night, taking down UCF (RV) in five sets to remain perfect at the Redbird Classic, presented by The Edge Apartments.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> It was a back-and-forth battle from the start, with kills from Kaylee Martin, Sydney Holt and Emmy Ogogor. Senior Monica Miller contributed a kill to level the set at 13-all. Freshman Ogogor registered her third kill of the match to bring the set back to its 14th tie, knotting the score at 17-all. The Knights went on a 4-0 run to jump out to its largest lead, before securing the opening set, 25-20.
Set 2 >> UCF continued its scoring streak, opening on a 7-2 run before a Martin kill put the ball back into the hands of ISU. Holt followed with the Redbirds' first service ace of the match, before the junior's second leveled the set at 14-all. UCF responded with a 3-0 to force the Redbirds to take a timeout. Back-to-back kills by Martin brought ISU within two, before three-straight blocks by Taylor Lynch and Ogogor brought momentum back to the Redbirds and pushed the home team ahead, 21-20. Stef Jankiewicz recorded her second double-double in as many outings, as a pair of kills by Kendee Hilliard off the bench helped ISU take the set, 25-21.
Set 3 >> The Knights came out swinging in the third set, forcing ISU to use an early timeout with a 9-2 advantage over the Redbirds. Kills by Martin, Ogogor and Hilliard helped the Redbirds come within five of UCF. The Knights jumped back out to an eight-point advantage, despite kills from Ogogor and Martin. UCF surged ahead by 10 to take the third set, 25-15.
Set 4 >> UCF scored first in the fourth and held its lead until mid-way in the set. The turning point for ISU came with three-straight attacking errors by the Knight to knot the set at 12-all. A kill by Martin pushed ISU out in front, as the back-and-forth battle continued. A successful challenge by Leah Johnson helped momentum shift back into the hands of the Redbirds, as the score was once again tied, this time at 19-all. Another attacking error by the Knights and a service ace by Kaity Weimerskirch kept the Redbirds out in front, before ISU secured the fourth set, 26-24.
Set 5 >> In the deciding set, there was just a pair of ties, before a kill by Martin helped the Redbirds break free from the Knights. Three more errors by UCF had ISU out to a 6-4 advantage early. The Redbirds went on a 3-0 scoring run behind kills from Miller and Ogogor. Back-to-back kills by Martin sealed the fifth set, 15-10, to give ISU its fifth-straight win.
LEADING THE FLOCK
UP NEXT
The Redbirds will face No. 7 Marquette in the Redbird Classic finale tomorrow at 3 p.m.
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