Redbirds Drop Five-Set Thriller to Southern Illinois Friday

CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team were in yet another tough MVC battle on Friday night, falling to Southern Illinois in five sets from the confines of Davies Gym.

Sophomore Aida Shadewald led the Redbirds in kills on Friday, finishing with 13 kills off 37 attempts against the Salukis. Fellow sophomore Regan Haith contributed 12 kills (.310 hitting pct) of her own for the 'Birds.

Sophomore Emily Weber notched her 21st straight match with at least 20 assists, finishing the evening with 35 against SIU.

Graduate student Mari Hinkle was all over the Davies Gym floor Friday evening as the Rosemount, Minn. native dug 20 balls across the five set duration. 

One of the major match moments for the Redbirds came midway through the third set at Davies Gym. After a back-and-forth first two sets, junior Maggi Weller helped spark a massive 10-0 scoring run for the 'Birds.

With the Redbirds ahead 13-12, Weller went back to the line and helped ISU rally off two more points to force an SIU timeout at 15-12. Out of the timeout, the Redbirds tallied seven more points before the Salukis scored again. After the Salukis score, ISU scored three of the final five set points to take set three and the 2-to-1 set advantage.

Illinois State drops to 11-17 overall and 9-7 in MVC play while the Salukis improve to 19-13 overall and 9-7 in MVC play.

SET SCORES

Illinois State falls to Southern Illinois (2-3): 22-25, 25-21, 25-14, 9-25, 11-15

ILLINOIS STATE STATS LEADERS

Kills: Aida Shadewald (13)

Digs: Mari Hinkle (20)

Assists: Emily Weber (35)

Service Aces: Regan Haith (3)

Total Blocks: Emily Weber/Cassie Jordan (6)

ILLINOIS STATE

- Illinois State (.185) was outhit by Southern Illinois (.240)

- Freshman Caitlyn Little made an immediate impact for the 'Birds on Friday, subbing in to start the second set. In the set, Little tallied five kills with a .444 hitting percentage.

- With a Belmont loss to Evansville Friday night, Illinois State will be one of the eight teams competing in Springfield, Missouri at the 2023 MVC VB Championships from November 19-22.

UP NEXT

The Redbirds will face off with Missouri State tomorrow night, November 11, at 5:00 p.m. CT in Springfield, Missouri.

For all latest on Illinois State volleyball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App:  Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.