NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State volleyball (11-11, 6-3 MVC) dropped a hard-fought battle to Drake on Saturday night, falling in four sets to the Bulldogs (12-8, 8-1 MVC).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Illinois State falls to Drake in four sets: 25-22, 18-25, 20-25, 19-25
Set 1
Drake got on the board first with two straight points to start the set as the Bulldogs would lead by as many as three before ISU rallied to tie the score at 14-14 prior to Drake taking a 15-14 lead into the media timeout. Out of the timeout, both sides stayed competitive as the Redbirds worked to build out a three-point lead at 21-18. The Redbird offense continued to keep the pressure on, as back-to-back kills from Khenedi Guest closed the set for a 25-22 win for ISU.
Set 2
Illinois State came out firing in set two, taking a 7-3 lead and forcing an early Drake timeout. However, the Bulldogs came back to tie the score at 7-7 before a 5-0 run made it 12-8 in favor of the visitors. From there, Drake remained ahead including a 6-0 run to push the score out to 21-14 late in the set. The Bulldogs withheld any Redbird comeback as they closed the set with three straight points for the 25-18 win.
Set 3
After UNI would lead early, it was the Redbirds responding to take a slime 9-8 lead off a 3-0 run as the sides traded points back-and-forth afterwards. A 4-0 run by Drake with the score tied 11-11 gave the Bulldogs all the momentum as they pushed ahead 15-11 and never surrendered the lead. ISU would trim the margin to one before a 7-3 run by Drake closed the set for the 25-20 set three win.
Set 4
After two straight Redbird points in set four, Drake responded with six straight of their own for the early 6-2 advantage. The score remained in Drake's favor before a 6-0 ISU run made it 11-9. The sides fought point-for-point once more as Drake went into the media timeout ahead 15-13. The Bulldogs led by as many as five prior to closing the match with three straight points for the 25-19 set four win and overall match victory.
ILLINOIS STATE STATS LEADERS
Kills: Caitlyn Little (18)
Digs: Sammi Bunch (19)
Assists: Mekaila Aupiu (45)
Service Aces: Three players (1)
Total Blocks: Three players (4)
ILLINOIS STATE NOTES
- Illinois State (.176) was outhit by Drake (.250)
- Junior Aida Shadewald eclipsed the 1,000-kill mark as a Redbird with her third kill during the first set
- The loss moves ISU to 4-5 at home in 2024
UP NEXT
Illinois State returns to the road to face UIC and Valparaiso next Friday and Saturday.
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