NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team (17-13, 13-5 MVC) swept I-74 rival Bradley (16-13, 12-6 MVC) in three sets on Senior Day at Redbird Arena, clinching a first-round bye in next week's Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
The Redbirds had balanced offensive attack with seven different players contributed at least one kill on the night, including four with six or more. Led by sophomore Kaitlyn Prondzinski's match-high 10 kills, Illinois State finished the night with 40 kills compared to Bradley's 23 in the three-set victory.
The first set was a hard-fought battle that would take extra points to see a winner after Bradley tied the match up at 23 and then again at 25. A Prondzinski kill and a Redbird block by Nicole Lund and Nora Janka put ISU ahead in the 27-25 win.
Illinois State never waivered in the second set despite trailing by as many as five at the midway point. Trailing 21-22, the 'Birds closed out on a 4-0 run, winning the set with a Sarah Kushner kill in the 25-22 victory.
The Redbirds took set three in dominate fashion, besting the Braves 25-10 in the final set to get the match victory. Freshman setter Katelyn Lefler served 11-straight times, serving up back-to-back aces in an 11-0 Redbird scoring run that put the 'Birds up 24-7. The Braves responded with three-straight points before a service error would give Illinois State the 25-10 win.
QUOTE FROM HEAD COACH LEAH JOHNSON
On tonight's win over Bradley:
"In general, I'm really proud of how the team played. We certainly started off rough from the service line and we could have easily lost our heads about that so to get settled in set one was tremendous and I think we were able to get better each set from that point on. They made some changes in set two to put some pressure on us, coming inside the court, hitting the deep corners better and then we just ran away with it. To go out like that – we ended the match with all three seniors on the court. It was pretty special."
QUOTE FROM SENIOR CARLEY NICHOLSON
On her last regular season match at Redbird Arena:
"To be able to end on the court with my fellow seniors was something truly special. After the match, just being able to hug my teammates was so special. The entire night has been so special – I can tell that my entire team and staff really wanted to win this night for us. It was amazing – the entire night has been amazing."
UP NEXT
The Redbirds will host the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament beginning next Thursday, November 25 through Saturday, November 27. A full bracket will be posted to goredbirds.com following this weekend's matches.
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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