MILWAUKEE, Wis. – For the first time in over a year, Illinois State (0-1) returned to the court on Friday night, falling to nationally-ranked Marquette (1-0) in three sets, despite leading most of the second and third frames.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> It was a back-and-forth battle from the start, as neither team led by more than a single point until Marquette surged ahead, 11-8, behind a 5-0 run. Out of an ISU-called timeout, Kaylee Martin registered her third kill to bring momentum back to the Redbirds. A pair of solo blocks by Nicole Lund, followed by a kill from Kendee Hilliard, forced the Golden Eagles to call a timeout, holding onto a 23-17 advantage, before sealing the opening frame, 25-19.
Set 2 >> Three kills from three different Redbirds helped Illinois State take an early lead in the second set. Back-to-back blocks at the net by Martin and Stef Jankiewicz pushed ISU out in front by four. Kaity Weimerskirch continued to be a threat behind the service line, registering a pair of aces to give the Redbirds a 15-9 lead. Marquette closed the gap, coming within two points, before a Martin kill helped ISU regain a four-point cushion. The Golden Eagles fought back, leveling the set at 22-all, before taking it, 25-23.
Set 3 >> In the deciding set, Sarah Kushner kick-started ISU's offense, while Kaitlyn Prondzinski made her collegiate debut and immediately added a kill and a block to the stat sheet. Marquette was forced to call a timeout, sitting at a 12-8 deficit, after Prondzinski and Lund teamed up at the net for the Redbirds' 11th block of the match. Illinois State jumped out to a five-point lead, but Marquette hit the gas pedal and turned in a 5-1 scoring run to knot the set at 17-all. The Golden Eagles took their first lead of the set on an ISU attacking error and held on for the 25-21 third set win.
LEADING THE FLOCK
QUOTING COACH JOHNSON
On how it felt to be back on the court…
"It felt good to be back out there. We oscillated from it being perfectly normal to being a very foreign feeling. It's hard to describe because you do this your whole life, so there's a normalcy to it. I still think the buildup was very challenging for everyone, which is not an excuse, it's just what it felt like. This is a team that just needs to find themselves again. Not in a bad way, but we just need to find our rhythm and get back into the swing of things."
Overall thoughts on the match…
"One thing that we always take pride in is our transition game. We dug balls at a high level, we transitioned, took big rips out of system. Our outsides did a great job managing their play at an efficient level. We need to get more production out of the middle and right side and earn our own points. That's it. We're two or three kills away from that game being a whole different match. I was proud to see KP (Kaitlyn Prondzinski) come off the bench and make an immediate impact at the net."
UP NEXT
The Redbirds will get another shot at the Golden Eagles tomorrow at 1 p.m., before returning home to make their Redbird Arena debut on Monday against I-74 rival Bradley at 6 p.m. In accordance with state and local guidelines, fans are currently not allowed to be in attendance at home ISU Athletics events. Game dates, opponents, times and locations are subject to change. To view Illinois State's full schedule and find ways to follow the match, visit GoRedbirds.com.
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