CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team (13-5, 11-3 MVC) took down Southern Illinois (2-18, 1-17 MVC) in straight sets on Sunday afternoon to clinch the program's 11th Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title, and second title in two years.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 >> Illinois State turned in an impressive .533 hitting percentage in the opening set, behind five kills from Kaitlyn Prondzinski, who went without an error in six attempts. The Redbirds built a lead early, as kills from Sarah Kushner and Sydney Holt out of an SIU timeout helped Illinois State charge ahead, 17-10. Southern Illinois registered a trio of kills, but the Redbirds closed on a 7-1 run behind the arms of Kushner, Prondzinski, Nicole Lund and Kaylee Martin, securing the 25-14 opening-set win.
Set 2 >> ISU didn't let up in the second set, as the Redbirds capitalized on a handful of errors by SIU. The Redbirds took their largest lead, 12-5, with back-to-back service aces by Kushner, forcing the Salukis to use their final timeout. An ace from Carley Nicholson off the bench widened the gap even more late in the set, before an SIU error lifted the Redbirds to set point and a kill from Martin helped ISU grab the second set, 25-14.
Set 3 >> Southern Illinois took its only lead of the match in the third set, but the Redbirds quickly tied it at six-all with a kill from Martin. Illinois State continued to inch away from the Salukis with a pair of aces delivered by Stef Jankiewicz and jumped out to a 15-10 advantage with a pair of Kushner kills. The sophomore's team-leading 15th kill sealed the third set, 25-18, helping the Redbirds win the regular-season title with their sixth-straight win.
LEADING THE FLOCK
QUOTING COACH JOHNSON
On what this championship means to the team…
"This team has wanted this the whole season, especially our group of seniors who has had pieces of championships throughout their career. Their goal was to win a regular season championship and to win a conference tournament to make it to another postseason. It's a special thing to see someone realize their goals. I'm so proud of this team and excited to see what else they can accomplish."
Overall thoughts on the match…
"There was a lot of urgency on our side of the net. We certainly did not waver at all in our intensity, determination and effort and that was very exciting that there was no let down."
UP NEXT
Illinois State will return home and serve as the host of the 2020-21 MVC Volleyball Championship, April 1-3.
RAISE THE BANNER
Fans interested in supporting the championship tradition of Redbird Volleyball can join the ACE Club. To receive priority access to new season tickets for the fall season, click here or call the ISU Athletics Ticket Office at (309) 438-8000.
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.
