MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Illinois State volleyball defeated 25th-ranked Illinois in a five-set match at the Al Maguire Center on Saturday.
The Redbirds (7-3 overall) won the first two sets before the Fighting Illini (5-4 overall) rallied to take sets three and four. Illinois State used a 6-0 run to lead 10-4 in the final set before senior Nicole Lund's kill clinched the match in favor of the Redbirds.
Senior Sarah Kushner had 15 kills and 11 digs to lead the way while junior Kaitlyn Prondzinski recorded 13 kills. Senior Kaity Weimerskirch tallied 19 digs and freshman Aida Shadewald posted 16 digs with seven kills.
Lund also had seven kills on a .375 hitting percentage.
SET SCORES
Illinois State beats No. 25 Illinois (3-2): 25-20, 25-21, 13-25, 23-25, 15-9
ILLINOIS STATE STATS LEADERS
Kills: Sarah Kushner (15)
Digs: Kaity Weimerskirch (19)
Assists: Nora Janka (25)
Service Aces: Nora Janka and Sarah Kushner (2)
Total Blocks: Nicole Lund (4)
ILLINOIS STATE NOTES
-Illinois State (.181) outhit Illinois (.174)
-Junior Kaitlyn Prondzinski now has 10+ kills in nine matches this season.
-Freshman Regan Haith has multiple blocks in every match this season, recording two in Saturday's match.
-Freshman Emily Weber made her collegiate debut, recording 18 assists and five digs.
-Illinois State also defeated Illinois the last time the teams met when the Fighting Illini were ranked (9/13/19 in four sets). ISU had not defeated Illinois on a neutral court since 9/13/80 (lost four-straight)
QUOTE FROM FIRST-YEAR HEAD COACH ALLIE MATTERS
On the match: "I thought that our execution was really good. We had a gameplan and we were fearless. We were fearless from the start. I thought we were really prepared and everyone contributed. Really proud of this group. I think it's full circle for the seniors and I thought it was a great match."
On Emily Weber: "I thought Emily Weber did a great job for her freshman debut, running a 6-2 against a top-25 - that's about as good as it gets."
On beating Illinois: "It feels awesome. It was great that it was collective - we didn't rely on just one person to carry us throughout the match. Everyone did their job in their role and we were a really good unit today."
QUOTE FROM SENIOR SARAH KUSHNER
"We beat [Illinois] our freshman year so it was a really special moment for us because we felt like it was full circle. It's really great when you beat a good team playing your best. I think Emily [Weber] did so well in her first collegiate match. She really stepped up and I thought we played as a unit, so it was a great team win."
UP NEXT
Illinois State plays at No. 19 Marquette on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CT.
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