NORMAL, Ill. – After dropping the first set against Drake (6-3, 4-2 MVC) on Monday night, the Illinois State volleyball team (6-4, 4-2 MVC) fought its way back to claim the series sweep of the Bulldogs with a four-set win at Redbird Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> The Redbirds stayed aggressive behind the service line, as libero Kendal Meier delivered back-to-back aces to help ISU hold an early 6-4 lead. A kill from Nicole Lund out of the middle aided in the Redbirds' effort to sit at a 15-11 advantage midway through the set. Drake responded with an 8-1 run, capitalizing on a pair of ISU attacking errors and a rare miss behind the serving line to jump out in front, 21-19. With the Redbirds down by two, Kaylee Martin and Cassie Jordan joined forces to register ISU's second block of the match, but the Bulldogs turned in a block of their own to seal the opening frame, 25-23.
Set 2 >> It was a back-and-forth battle to start the second set, as neither team led by more than a single point. A tip over the block by Sarah Kushner helped the Redbirds surge ahead by four. The Redbirds went running out of a Drake-called timeout, as three kills in the set from Lund pushed ISU to a commanding six-point lead. With Illinois State on an 8-1 run, which included a solo block by Kushner, the Redbird run continued with a kill from the sophomore and a service ace from Carley Nicholson for a commanding 16-5 advantage. Illinois State kept a double-digit lead on Martin's sixth kill, while back-to-back kills from the senior lifted the Redbirds to a 22-11 lead. With set point within reach for the Redbirds, Drake went on a 3-0 run, but a tip over the block by Kushner and attacking error by Drake handed ISU the set, 25-17.
Set 3 >> Drake jumped out to an early lead in the third set, before Kaity Weimerskirch's second ace of the match gave ISU a slim one-point edge. Climbing their way back from a deficit, the Redbirds surged ahead, 8-5, before Drake crawled its way back to level it at 11-all. The Bulldogs kept applying pressure at the net, but a block by Lund and Kushner helped the Redbirds keep a two-point cushion. Jordan and Kaitlyn Prondzinski teamed up on the outside for Illinois State's fifth team block of the match, leading Drake, 20-16, late in the set. The Bulldogs fought their way back to knot the set at 20-all, but a cross-court shot from Martin and Kushner's 11th kill helped the Redbirds take a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-23 third-set win.
Set 4 >> The Redbirds put their feet on the gas pedal in the deciding set, opening on a 6-0 run behind a pair of kills from Prondzinski and an ace from Kushner. A handful of Drake errors helped the Redbirds charge ahead by seven, before the Bulldogs responded with a 6-0 run of their own, as Illinois State was holding onto a 12-11 lead. A successful challenge by head coach Leah Johnson shifted momentum back into the hands of the Redbirds, as Meier's team-high third service ace pushed ISU back out by five. Back-to-back kills from Kushner and Martin made it 20-16 in favor of the home team, as Drake called its final timeout. Three-straight blocks lifted the Redbirds to a five-point lead, while an attacking error by the Bulldogs and kill from Kushner helped ISU grab the set, 25-18.
LEADING THE FLOCK
STAT OF THE MATCH
- Illinois State's 107 digs are the eighth most turned in by the Redbirds in a single match at Redbird Arena and the most in a match at home since 2014.
QUOTING COACH JOHNSON
On team's resiliency…
"Drake's a good team. We knew that it would be another close match. It was a rough match offensively for both teams, but we controlled our side of the net and never gave up. Defensively, we were all over the place with five players recording double-digit digs. We were able to close out tight sets at the end and we were able to convert."
On physicality of the match…
"It was a very physical match at the net with blocking by both teams. The blockers made attackers take risks or play safe and that's where you see a lot of the digs and errors show up on the box score."
On long rallies...
"Drake's a team that will make you work for your own points and tend to take teams to long rallies, which we've seen back-to-back nights now. More often than not, we were able to finish those points tonight."
UP NEXT
Illinois State will close its four-match homestand with a pair of contests against Valparaiso, Feb. 21-22.
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
