DES MOINES, Iowa – Led by 15 kills from Aida Shadewald and five blocks each from Khenedi Guest and Hannah Reichensperger, the Illinois State Redbirds battled with the Drake Bulldogs, with the Birds falling in their Iowa trip finale 3-1 (21-25, 22-25, 25-14, 22-25).
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set (21-25): After a start that saw the teams tied at four, the host Bulldogs scored four consecutive points to lead 8-4, and never trailed again in the frame. ISU closed the gap to as few as two at 21-19; however, the Bulldogs scored four of the final six points of the set to take the opener 25-21.
Second Set (22-25): Scoring the first three points of the second set, Drake never trailed, despite the Redbirds knotting the score at six points apiece. Drake pushed back up to lead by as many as six, including at 22-16, before ISU started to fight back, scoring four consecutive points to close the gap to just two at 22-20, but could not fully close the gap in the 25-22 Bulldog victory.
Third Set (25-14): ISU jumped out early in the third set, leading by as many as seven at 14-7, and the Redbirds kept their foot on the gas pedal in the set, scoring the final seven points of the period for a 25-14 third-set win.
Fourth Set (22-25): Trailing 2-1 early, ISU ran off six straight points to extend to a 7-2 lead. The lead remained at five at 10-5 as the hosts rebounded by scoring five of the next six points to close the gap to one at 11-10. The Redbirds and Bulldogs battled to tie scores at 15 and 16. After being knotted at 16, Drake pushed back ahead, leading by four at 24-20, holding off a late ISU rally to earn the MVC victory.
KEY STATISTICS
- Aida Shadewald had double-digit kills for the sixth time this season with a team- and match-high 15, while also adding seven digs, a pair of service aces, and three blocks
- She had a match attack percentage of .308, her first time hitting over .300 since late in the 2024 season
- Arianna Rossi had a match-high 17 digs, her 16th match this season with double-digit digs.
- Ella Craggs (23) and Audrey Clark (18) each had double-digit assists, while Clark added eight digs
- Ruth Ziegler had 11 kills, the fourth time this season she has had double-digit kills
- Her four blocks are tied for the second-most in her two-year Redbird career
- Oliwia Caputa had 12 digs – her sixth match this season with double-digit in the category – and seven kills for the Redbirds, along with a season-high-tying two service aces
- Hannah Reichensperger tied a career-high with seven digs, and also had five blocks and five kills in the match
- Khenedi Guest added seven kills and five blocks
NEXT UP
ISU has a short turnaround to its next match, as the Redbirds host the Bradley Braves on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m., the first of two Illinois State matches during the week.
