CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Illinois State volleyball team (5-9, 1-1 MVC) picked up their first Missouri Valley Conference win of the 2021 season, downing the UNI Panthers (6-9, 1-1 MVC) in five sets (25-21, 25-18, 23-25, 21-25, 15-12).
Despite taking the first two sets without ever relinquishing their lead, the Redbirds would need all five sets to secure the match win.
The first set was all about a series of runs for the 'Birds. Illinois State had a strong start to the match with a 5-0 run to begin set one that included two early kills from Sarah Kushner. The Redbirds' lead grew to as many as nine at one point in the set one victory, finishing with 13 kills in the 25-21 win.
Illinois State's best hitting percentage came in set two where they hit .324 to Northern Iowa's .194 and finished with 14 kills. Like the first set, set two came down to a series of big runs by the 'Birds that the Panthers couldn't match, giving Illinois State a 2-0 advantage heading into set three.
In the Redbirds' set three and four losses they never stopped battling, nearly completing a set four comeback by cutting a seven-point lead to two. Illinois State forced the Panthers' to three set point scenarios before they fell 23-25 and would have to play a fifth set.
The final set was all about the 'Birds with Illinois State posting 13 kills compared to UNI's five to win the match. Nearly half of those kills came from Tamara Otene who finished with six in set five alone. Defensively, Kaity Weimerskirch led Illinois State with 23 digs for her seventh 20-dig performance of the season. Cassie Jordan added a career-best seven blocks.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Tamara Otene posted a career-night with a lifetime best 22 kills on her birthday.
- Six different Redbirds recorded service aces against the Panthers finishing with a season-best 10 aces as a team. Nora Janka and Carley Nicholson recorded three apiece, which matched a career high for Janka.
- Cassie Jordan notched a career-best seven blocks against the Panthers.
QUOTE FROM HEAD COACH LEAH JOHNSON
On getting the first conference win of the season:
"I'm really proud of our team for fighting to get that win in five sets without three of our usual starters. We've been able to learn a lot from our performances over these last few matches, but it feels really good to get the win on paper. We're a young team and these are the types of games where we get better."
UP NEXT
The Redbirds will return home next weekend to face Missouri State on Friday, October 1 and Southern Illinois on Saturday, October 2 inside Redbird Arena. Both matches are set to begin at 6 p.m.
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