NORMAL, Ill. – For the second time in three seasons, the Illinois State volleyball team (9-5, 7-3 MVC) pulled off the series sweep of Missouri State (12-5, 8-4 MVC), besting the Bears in four sets on Monday night. Sophomore Sarah Kushner led the way with 21 kills on .442 hitting.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> A 4-0 scoring run by Illinois State forced the Bears to call a timeout as the Redbirds led 11-7 with a pair of early kills from Kaylee Martin and Sarah Kushner. Missouri State answered with a three-point run of its own as the Redbirds called timeout holding onto a 16-13 lead. After an unsuccessful challenge by the Bears, and two more kills by Martin and Kushner, ISU pulled ahead, 20-16. The Redbirds closed on a 3-0 scoring run as MSU committed its sixth attacking error to seal the set, 25-21. Despite hitting .150 as a team, Martin and Kushner combined for 12 kills with just one error between the duo in the opening frame.
Set 2 >> Sydney Holt's second kill of the match leveled the score at five-all early, while a second unsuccessful challenge by MSU gave the Redbirds a two-point edge. Illinois State continued its 6-1 run behind another kill on the slide from Holt, a solo block by Kushner and a service ace delivered by Kaity Weimerskirch. A handful of attacking errors by the Redbirds forced ISU to call a timeout with MSU on a 3-0 scoring run. Illinois State's seventh team block, this time by Nicole Lund and Kaitlyn Prondzinski pushed the Redbirds back out in front by seven approaching the end of the set. A kill from Holt carried ISU to set point, before a service error by the Bears handed the second set to the Redbirds, 25-17.
Set 3 >> Missouri State took its first lead of the match in the third set, holding a slim 6-4 advantage early. The Redbirds responded with a run behind kills from Holt and Kushner to jump out in front. Prondzinski's third kill, and another by Holt, brought ISU within one of the Bears, as the visitors used a timeout holding on to a 15-14 lead. With MSU at set point, Kushner delivered her team-leading 15th kill, but the Bears held on for the 25-21 third set win.
Set 4 >> Back-to-back aces by Kushner helped ISU charge ahead to open the deciding set. A stuff by Martin on the outside, followed by a block by Holt and Stef Jankiewicz, forced the Bears to use a timeout trailing by four. MSU crawled back to level the set at 16-all, as ISU used its first timeout despite four kills from Kushner in the set. A kill from Martin and Jankiewicz helped the Redbirds regain a two-point lead, before Illinois State closed on a 4-0 run for the 25-21 victory and series sweep of the Bears.
LEADING THE FLOCK
QUOTING COACH JOHNSON
On the team's adjustments, specifically behind the service line…
"We knew that they (Missouri State) would be a little better passing, but didn't think it was worth changing dramatically, so we stayed the course and came out and served very similarly today as we did yesterday. It forced them into situations that we wanted to see them in. The difference today was that (Amelia) Flynn handled that volume well. I was very pleased with our serving and I think that's why we went on runs."
On Sarah Kushner's performance and development as a player…
"Sarah's kill percentage last year was always high; she could always get kills. But she would compliment that with an error and kind of negate herself through the match and now she is truly understanding how to take care of the ball in certain situations and taking different swings. I am really pleased with her performance and overall effort, and she passes 80-percent of the balls for us. She's doing that on top of carrying the volume and the load of the serve receive. That is a very mental skill."
UP NEXT
Illinois State will host Evansville, March 21-22, before concluding the Missouri Valley Conference regular season on the road at Southern Illinois.
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.
