NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team (10-5, 8-3 MVC) used a season-high .321 hitting percentage to sweep the Evansville Purple Aces (5-12, 4-11 MVC) in straight sets on Sunday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> A pair of early kills from Nicole Lund and a service ace delivered by Sarah Kushner helped the Redbirds open on a 4-1 run. The Purple Aces climbed their way back to level it at five-all, before a 4-0 run by Illinois State that featured a kill and a block by Sydney Holt pushed the Redbirds back out in front. Illinois State went into the media timeout with a 15-11 advantage, courtesy of a kill and ace from Kushner. Out of the break, Kushner dropped her third ace of the match over the tape to keep the Redbird run alive. A kill from Kaylee Martin carried Illinois State to a five-point lead, before a dump over the net by Stef Jankiewicz forced the visitors to use their final timeout. An ace by Martin pushed the Redbirds to set point, while a kill out of the back row from the senior helped ISU seal the opening set, 25-15.
Set 2 >> Evansville came out of the gates swinging in the second set, charging ahead 7-4 as Illinois State used its first timeout trailing for the first time in the match. Senior Alyssa Kronberg made her season debut and stepped behind the service line, while making a pair of defensive plays for the Redbirds. With Illinois State hitting .364 in the set, Evansville used a timeout trailing by two after Holt's fourth kill. The middle blocker teamed up with Kendee Hilliard on the outside for ISU's third team block, sitting at a 17-14 advantage. A team-leading ninth kill from Lund lifted the Redbirds to set point, before a kill from Martin helped Illinois State secure the set, 25-19.
Set 3 >> Hilliard added a pair of kills to her stat line in the third set, before the Purple Aces climbed back to knot the set at six-all. A block by Evansville helped the visitors take a one-point edge, while their seventh serving error tied the set for the eighth time. It was a back-and-forth battle, as a block by Holt and Jankiewicz carried the Redbirds into the media timeout with a 15-14 lead. Another block by the senior duo kept ISU out in front. Evansville continued to stay on the heels of the Redbirds, as the Purple Aces' third service ace leveled the set at 20-all. Illinois State responded with a 5-0 run, grabbing the third set, 25-20, on an ace by Kaity Weimerskirch.
LEADING THE FLOCK
QUOTING COACH JOHNSON
On the team's fifth sweep of the season and Sunday success…
I think our team does a great job with scout and we have a pretty veteran lineup. At this point this scouting is second nature and they're able to implement it at a pretty high rate. We have also been making good adjustments throughout the match. In set three, they (Evansville) basically stopped setting anyone but their outsides, and their outsides are phenomenal. I thought we did a nice job making adjustments and our scout plays a big role in our Sunday wins."
On team's ability to overcome adversity in set two…
"I didn't like set two very much and how it started, because a lot of their points came on our errors. I think five to six of the first ten points that they (Evansville) earned were true Redbird errors, not earned errors. Once we regained control on our side of the net, the game became tight and it was a side-out game where each team was playing pretty good volleyball."
UP NEXT
The Redbirds will wrap up their two-match series with the Purple Aces tomorrow at 4 p.m., before hitting the road to close the regular season at Southern Illinois, March 27-28. Illinois State will serve as the host for the 2020-21 MVC Volleyball Championship, April 1-3, at Redbird Arena.
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.
