NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team (2-5) fell to Central Michigan (5-3) in a four set battle (28-26, 18-25, 16-25, 24-26) to open play at the Flyer-Raider Invitational in Dayton, Ohio on Friday evening.
OPENING VOLLEY
- Sophomore Nicole Lund led the team in both blocks (5) and kills (11), hitting .455 on the night. The 11 kills matches her career-high that she had set just two games prior versus UIC.
- Junior Sarah Kushner also finished in double-digit kills to post her third double-double of the season, blasting 10 kills and recording 14 digs.
- Reigning Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week Katelyn Lefler had 43 assists, adding an ace and five kills while hitting .357.
- A trio of Redbirds recorded a pair of aces each (Carley Nicholson, Kaity Weimerskirch, and Jessica D'Ambrose) with freshman Maggi Weller collecting the first service ace of her career. The Redbirds had an 8-3 advantage in aces on the evening.
THE DIFFERENCE
- Illinois State came out strong, taking the first set, 28-26, before CMU won the next three. The Redbirds competed in each frame, tying the fourth set up at 24-all before back-to-back kills by Central Michigan's Savannah Thompson sealed the deal for CMU.
- Central Michigan hit .277 in the match, limiting the Redbirds to a .144 hitting percentage. CMU also had a 65-50 advantage in kills on the night, recording a game-high 22 in the opening frame.
- The CMU duo of Sierra Gray and Linnea Willer combined for 32 kills, earning 16 and 15 each, respectively.
QUOTE FROM HEAD COACH LEAH JOHNSON
"It's always tough to not come out on top but I'm proud of our team for fighting 'til the very end. They continue to stay committed to the process and we will continue to learn and grow in every match we play."
UP NEXT
The Redbirds look to rebound tomorrow morning versus Dayton at 11 a.m. before closing the Flyer-Raider Invitational against Wright State at 6 p.m. CT. Fans can follow along with live stats, with the Wright State match being streamed on ESPN+.
For all latest on Illinois State volleyball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @RedbirdVB (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
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