NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team (3-2) turned it up a notch on Saturday afternoon, sweeping the visiting Cincinnati Bearcats (1-1), after falling in four sets the night before.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> Kaylee Martin and Nicole Lund picked up where they left off, accounting for all four early points for the Redbirds. A kill and solo block from Sarah Kushner helped ISU take a 7-6 lead, before the sophomore stepped behind the service line and delivered back-to-back aces. A third service ace from Kushner and another scoring run by the Redbirds behind kills from Kaitlyn Prondzinski and Martin, aided in ISU's 17-9 advantage in the opening set. Setter Stef Jankiewicz dumped one over the net to push the Redbirds out in front, 20-13, before Prondzinski's fourth kill of the match sealed it, 25-18.
Set 2 >> Illinois State's aggressive serving carried over to the second set, as Kendal Meier stepped behind the line and dropped in back-to-back aces to give the Redbirds a 7-5 advantage. A pair of kills from Prondzinski, followed by an ace from Carley Nicholson – the Redbirds' seventh of the match – pushed ISU out in front by four. With the Bearcats on a 3-0 scoring run, the Redbirds used their final timeout, holding on to a one-point lead. Kushner's fourth service ace of the match helped ISU charge ahead, 22-18, before an attacking error by Cincinnati helped the Redbirds to a 25-21 second-set win.
Set 3 >> The Bearcats weren't going down without a fight, as Cincinnati jumped out to an early lead in the third. A block by Jankiewicz and Lund gave ISU its largest lead of the set, sitting at a 12-10 advantage. Martin's 10th kill carried the Redbirds into the media timeout with a three-point lead, as the senior secured her third double-double of the year and second-straight one against Cincinnati. Another block, this time by Martin and Lund on the right side, pushed ISU out in front by six, before a kill from Kushner helped the Redbirds win the deciding set, 25-19.
LEADING THE FLOCK
QUOTING COACH JOHNSON
On biggest adjustments from Friday to Saturday…
"Well one, we didn't have a scout going into yesterday, but we can't use that as an excuse. Yesterday, we weren't playing in our competitive mindset in my opinion and today we came out fiery and wanting the ball, wanting to be a playmaker in all different facets of the game. We looked to use our right side (Kaitlyn Prondzinski) and middle (Nicole Lund) better. I think that when you have three people in double digits, we are going to be hard to defend with that kind of balance."
On the team changing its mindset…
"It's a combination of myself and the staff, and the players. My job is to right the ship all the time, but it's the team's job to execute. It doesn't matter what I say. Ultimately, they're the ones who do it, so that falls on them for having the willingness to acknowledge a poor outing yesterday, owning it, moving past it and perform at a high level today. They deserve that credit for sure."
UP NEXT
Illinois State will play part two of its home-and-home series with Bradley on Monday in Peoria, Illinois. First serve between the Redbirds and the Braves is set for 6 p.m.
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.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
