SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Illinois State volleyball team (14-11, 10-3 MVC) extended its winning streak to seven-straight matches, including 14-straight set wins, downing the Missouri State Bears (14-10, 5-7 MVC) in three sets.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The 'Birds trailed by as many as five early on in set one before sophomore Tamara Otene started a 4-0 scoring run for ISU that would tie it up at 15 and force a Missouri State timeout. Illinois State and the Bears saw six more ties in the opening set before the Redbirds closed out on 6-1 run to get their 12th-straight set win, 25-21.
The second set was battle to the end, featuring 10 ties, including one at 23-23 but despite have eight attacking errors to the Bears' six, the 'Birds were able to put it away with a Sarah Kushner service ace, winning 25-23.
The 'Birds had to fight into extra points in set three for their fourth-straight three-set win with neither team leading by more than two throughout the entire set. The 'Birds remained composed throughout the duration of the set with Otene lifting ISU past the Bears with the last four kills of the match, winning 27-25.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- For the 13th time in 14 matches, including all but one conference matchup, Tamara Otene finished with double-digit kills, nailing a team-high 16 against the Bears. Otene also added 11 digs for a double-double effort of the 2021 season.
- Joining Otene with the double-figure effort was Sarah Kushner who contributed 13 kills and 12 digs for her 16th double-double of the season.
- Defensively, junior libero Kaity Weimerskirch led the way with 20 digs, marking the 23rd time in 25 games that she has finished with at least 10 digs. Cassie Jordan added five block assists for the 'Birds.
QUOTE FROM HEAD COACH LEAH JOHNSON
On tonight's match and Tamara Otene's impressive play:
"The thing that stood out to me the most was how composed we stayed at the end of close sets. I thought we managed the end of those sets well. I thought Tam (Tamara Otene) played exceptionally well tonight. You're always going to notice Tam's offense, but I thought her passing was great. She was our best serve receiver tonight."
UP NEXT
The Illinois State volleyball team will return home to Redbird Arena next weekend, hosting Evansville and Indiana State for a pair of matches. The 'Birds will face off with the Purple Aces on Friday, November 5, followed by a match with the Sycamores on Saturday, November 6. First serve for both matches is set for 6 p.m.
For all latest on Illinois State volleyball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
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