PEORIA, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team won their third-straight match in four days, downing Bradley in five sets on Monday night inside Renaissance Coliseum.
Tonight's win against the Braves marks the third straight road win for Illinois State against their I-74 foe. Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set one was a hard-fought battle as neither team led by more than three early in the set. As the teams traded point-for-point down the stretch, Bradley took advantage of a Redbird service error and solid offense of their own to take set one, 25-23.
Set two began much like set one with both teams battling hard to gain any momentum early on, as ISU would hold the early advantage as they led at the media timeout with the score at 15-11. The Redbirds did not waver out of the timeout, closing out the set for the 25-16 win to knot the score at one set apiece.
Back-and-forth action began set three as neither team led by more than two, including ISU leading 11-9. As the Braves strung together a run of their own to retake the lead, it was the Redbirds who took a 15-13 lead into the media timeout. The ISU lead grew out to four at 18-14, thanks to a Hannah Reichensperger kill. As the two were neck-and-neck heading down the stretch, ISU remained composed with the score tied at 21-21 to score four straight to grab the set, 25-21.
Back-to-back aces by the Braves gave Bradley an 8-5 lead in the fourth set. Bradley grew the lead to seven at 13-6, thanks to a 5-0 run, before ISU rallied to trim the deficit to only two at 13-11 to force a Braves timeout. Out of the timeout, ISU would eventually tie the score at 15-15 before a 3-0 run by Bradley forced the final set timeout for the Birds at 18-15. The Braves held off a late Redbirds rally, closing the set to force a decisive fifth set, 25-20.
The Redbirds and Braves started the fifth set trading points back-and-forth with six ties as ISU led 8-7 when the teams would switch sides of the court. The score remained tightly contested as the set continued down the stretch. Illinois State would score two straight to grab set point, 14-12, and won, 15-13.Â
SET SCORES
Illinois State defeats Bradley in five sets: 23-25, 25-16, 25-21, 20-25, 15-13
ILLINOIS STATE STATS LEADERS
Kills: Aida Shadewald (19)
Digs: Sammi Bunch (40)
Assists: Mekaila Aupiu (45)
Service Aces: Aida Shadewald / Mekaila Aupiu (2)
Total Blocks: Khenedi Guest (4)
ILLINOIS STATE NOTES
- Illinois State (.178) outhit Bradley (.133)
- Shadewald has registered at least 10 kills in every single road Missouri Valley Conference match this season, including her second match with at least 15+ kills, with a game-high 19 against the Braves.
- Junior Sammi Bunch dug a career-high 40 balls on Monday night
- The Redbirds have now won six straight matches (all in MVC play)
UP NEXT
Illinois State returns home to CEFCU Arena as UNI and Drake come to Normal next weekend. First serve on Friday will be at 6:00 p.m. CT while Saturday is scheduled to start at 5:00 p.m. CT.
For all the latest on Illinois State volleyball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
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