TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Illinois State volleyball team (4-3, 2-1 MVC) jumped back in the win column, fighting back from a 2-1 deficit to win in five sets at Indiana State (1-3, 1-2 MVC) on Sunday afternoon. Senior Kaylee Martin led the way with 22 kills and 21 digs, while Sarah Kushner (12 kills, 12 digs) and Nora Janka (26 assists, 14 digs) also turned in double-double performances.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> Illinois State jumped out to an early 4-1 lead behind strong serving from the Redbirds and a trio of error behind the Sycamore service line. Kills from Sarah Kushner and Kaylee Martin, followed by an ace from Kushner, forced Indiana State to use a timeout trailing by five. An ace dropped over the top of the tape by Kaity Weimerskirch helped the Redbirds regain a five-point cushion, sitting at a 13-8 advantage midway through the set. With Illinois State sitting at set point, the Sycamores didn't back down, going on a 3-0 run, before a service error by the home team handed the Redbirds the 25-18 opening-set win.
Set 2 >> Indiana State took their first lead of the match, holding a slim 4-3 advantage, on an Illinois State attacking error early in the second set. It was a back-and-forth battle, as each team exchanged points in a set that featured five lead changes and 10 ties. Trailing by one, the Sycamores broke open scoring, going on a 5-0 run to charge ahead, 18-14. Despite another kill from Martin and a trio of blocks by Nicole Lund, Kaitlyn Prondzinski and Cassie Jordan, Indiana State leveled the match at one set apiece with a 25-20 win in the second set.
Set 3 >> The Redbirds took an early lead in the third set, as Jordan's second solo block helped Illinois State sit out in front, 8-6. A block by Martin and Lund on the outside, followed by back-to-back aces by Jessica D'Ambrose off the bench pushed the Redbirds ahead, 14-11. Indiana State crawled its way back heading into the media break, sitting at a one-point deficit, before taking a 19-17 lead. The Sycamores closed the set on a 6-1 run, taking a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-18 third-set victory over the Redbirds.
Set 4 >> Back-to-back service aces by the Sycamores in the fourth set helped them charge ahead, 6-3, before Prondzinski's third kill of the set stopped the Indiana State run. With Weimerskirch back behind the service line, the Redbirds slowly crawled their way back behind a pair of kills from Kushner. Both teams exchanged points, before Illinois State started to create some room with a 4-0 run to hold an 18-13 lead midway through the set. Kushner's sixth kill of the set pushed the Redbirds ahead by six, as two Indiana State errors gave Illinois State the set, 25-18.
Set 5 >> The Redbirds opened the deciding set on a 3-0 run behind kills from Kushner and Janka. Martin registered her first of four kills in the set, before teaming up with Kushner on the outside for a big block and Indiana State timeout. The Sycamores pieced together a run, coming within a pair of Illinois State, but the Redbirds fought off Indiana State's threat, but sealing the final set, 15-9, on a kill from Martin.
LEADING THE FLOCK
QUOTING COACH JOHNSON
On overall performance and fight of the team…
"I thought Indiana State was prepared, aggressive and improved from a season ago. That's a good team that is going to give teams in the Valley some trouble. But what I was most proud of was the resiliency we showed when the game got tight. We never lost ourselves, we made adjustments, tweaked our game and that really allowed us to exploit differently."
On where the team excelled on Sunday…
"I think we performed really well when we made adjustments in-match. We flipped Sarah (Kushner) and Kaylee (Martin) after being down by two sets. Until that moment, that had been our best lineup. With that change, we had different blocking matchups and who they were swinging against were different and I think that gave them some confidence. Our middles made adjustments in their blocking and were lining up better at the net, and our back court and middle backs were reading sideline-to-sideline making big effort plays."
On adjustments needed for Monday's match…
"Tomorrow, we'll have a better feel of their attackers and how to defend them. I really think it's going to come down to the serve-and-pass game. In sets that were tight today, we were serving soft, and in the sets we held a lead in, we were serving aggressively."
UP NEXT
The Redbirds will wrap up a two-match outing at Indiana State on Monday, before returning to Redbird Arena for a four-match home swing against Drake and Valparaiso.
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.
