MURRAY, Ky. – The Illinois State volleyball squad came back from a 2-0 set deficit on Saturday afternoon; however, could not overcome the full total, as the Birds fell to the Murray State Racers in the weekend finale in Kentucky.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set (21-25): The Redbirds jumped ahead early, leading by as many as four at 8-4, before the hosts ran off six consecutive points to push ahead to a 10-8 lead. The Redbirds got back to even at 12-12; however, the host Racers kept pushing, leading by as many as five points, and held of a Redbird late rally for a 25-21 MSU opening-set win.
Second Set (17-25): After picking up the opening-set win, the Racers came out firing out of the gate, scoring the first four points of the set, and the hosts would not allow the Redbirds to take a lead in the set. Murray State pushed ahead and led by as many as eight points in the Racer set win.
Third Set (25-12): The third set opened with back-to-back kills from Khenedi Guest, as ISU opened with a 3-0 lead. Murray State answered back to close the gap to one at 4-3; however, the Redbirds got three consecutive kills from Oliwia Caputa, and ISU never trailed again in frame for the 25-12 set win – ISU's largest set win since November 15, 2024, when the Redbirds held Belmont to 11 points in a four-set win.
Fourth Set (26-24): The third set saw the teams tied 16 times, including as late as 24-24; however, the Redbirds closed the set on a 4-0 run to force a deciding fifth set.
Fifth Set (11-15): After the teams traded points to start the set, Murray State came back with five consecutive points to stretch to a 6-1 lead. Trailing by five, ISU started working to chip away at the deficit, closing the gap to two at 12-10; however, the early deficit was too much to overcome in the shortened fifth set.
KEY STATISTICS
- The fourth-set score of 26-24 is the 14th time this season that the Redbirds and their opponent have gone over the traditional stopping point, the eighth-highest single-season total in program history
- The match was the second time in October that the Redbirds had four players with double-digit digs
- Khenedi Guest
- For her sixth consecutive game she had eight or more kills, ending the match with 13, her seventh match this season with 10+ kills
- Caitlyn Little
- With 13 kills, reached double-digit kills for the 10th time this season, and sixth consecutive match, while she has had at least nine kills in each of her last 13 contests
- Set a career-high with 14 digs
- The double-double is her team-leading sixth of the season
- Arianna Rossi
- Reached double-figure digs for the 13th time this season, while recording nine or more digs for the 17th time in 18 matches
- Climbed above 20 digs in the match for the fifth time this season, and the third time in her last five contests with 21
- Oliwia Caputa
- Set a career-high with 17 digs
- Recorded 10+ kills for the third time this season, setting a season-high with 12
- The double-double was her second of the season
- Ella Craggs
- Recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 43 assists and 15 digs
- Set a career-high with 15 digs, her fifth match with double-figure digs this season
- Her assist total is the second-highest of her career
NEXT UP
After ISU's pair of road games over the weekend, the Redbirds return home for a pair of homecoming weekend games, starting on Friday, October 17 against the Drake Bulldogs, and followed a day later, on Saturday, October 18 against Southern Illinois.
