COLUMBUS, Ohio – (RV) Illinois State (7-3) opened the Buckeye Invitational Friday morning against tournament host Ohio State (5-5), falling in three sets (21-25, 18-25, 25-27).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> Illinois State trailed early, but a block by Kaylee Martin and Sydney Holt pushed the Redbirds ahead, 3-2. Holt delivered a service ace to level the set at five-all, before Ohio State went on a 4-0 scoring run to make it 13-8 in favor of the Buckeyes. Out of an ISU-called timeout, the Redbirds responded with a kill from Sarah Kushner, but the Buckeyes continued their run to make it 16-9. A service error by Ohio State and a kill by Kushner forced the Buckeyes to use their first timeout. Another service error by the Buckeyes, block by Emmy Ogogor and Monica Miller and service ace by Martin brought ISU back within five. Kushner's match-leading fourth kill kept Ohio State at set-point, but the Buckeyes held on for the 25-21 opening-set win.
Set 2 >> It was an early back-and-forth battle to start the second set, as Ogogor registered a pair of kills. A service ace by Alyssa Kronberg knot the set at six-all, before a 4-0 scoring run by Ohio State gave the Buckeyes a 10-7 advantage. A kill by Kushner brought the ball back into the hands of Illinois State. The Redbirds came within one of Ohio State on kills by Holt and Ogogor, before an attacking error by the Buckeyes leveled the set at 12-all. Out of a timeout called by Ohio State, the Redbirds kept their scoring run alive with a kill by Jankiewicz. The Buckeyes responded with a 5-0 scoring run to charge ahead, 18-15, before taking the set 25-18.
Set 3 >> Kushner's tough serving helped the Redbirds take a 3-2 lead early on, behind the team's fifth ace. A block by Martin and Ogogor pushed ISU back ahead, 6-5. The back-and-forth battle never wavered, as a kill by Martin gave ISU an 11-10 lead. Back-to-back attack errors by Ohio State had the Redbirds ahead by a slim 17-16 advantage and the Buckeyes used the first timeout of the set by either side. Out of the break, Illinois State took its largest lead on a kill by Stef Jankiewicz and the Buckeyes' sixth attacking error of the set. Kushner's third service ace of the match made it 21-17 in favor of ISU, as Ohio State used its final timeout. A bad set by the Buckeyes brought the Redbirds to set point, before Ohio State charged back for a 27-25 third-set win.
LEADING THE FLOCK
UP NEXT
Illinois State will return to the court this evening to face Miami (OH) at 4:30 p.m. CT, before wrapping up the Buckeye Invitational at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday against Dayton.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
