NORMAL, Ill. – Despite 14 kills from freshman Ne'Khaela Rogers and junior Caitlyn Little – Rogers' a career-high – the Illinois State volleyball squad falls in four sets to the University of Cincinnati by a 3-1 score (14-25, 25-21, 19-25, 15-25).
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set (14-25): Cincinnati scored the first seven points of the match, jumping out to a lead that ISU was only able to trim to as few as five in the Bearcat opening-set win.
Second Set (25-21): The teams battled through a back-and-forth battle through the early portions of the second set, with the set being tied as late as 10-10. After the knotted score at 10, ISU scored five of the next seven points, and never trailed again in the frame, extending the lead to as many as six points in the four-point set win.
Third Set (19-25): Like the second set, the teams were in a neck-in-neck battle, tied as late as 15-15 following a Caitlyn Little service ace; however, Cincinnati went on a 6-1 run to extend to a 21-16 lead, as the Bearcats cruised to the eventual 25-19 set victory.
Fourth Set (15-25): The fourth set was similar to the first, as the Bearcats scored the first four points of the frame, and Cincinnati lead 13-4 through the first 17 points of the set. ISU climbed back to within as few as three points but could not overcome the full deficit in the fourth-set loss.
KEY STATISTICS
- Behind her career-high 14 kills, Ne'Khaela Rogers became the ninth Redbird this season to have a match with double-digit kills, and the seventh different player to lead the team in kills through the first eight matches of the year.
- Rogers' attack percentage of .407 is also a career-high in her young career.
- Caitlyn Little had her second double-double in her last three matches, using 14 kills and 10 digs
- Her 14 kills tied a season-high
- Khenedi Guest knocked down 11 kills for her fourth match this season with double-digit kills
- Guest added three blocks, her eighth game this season with at least three blocks
- With an attack percentage of .348, the match marked her fourth straight with a percentage above .300
- Ella Craggs dished out a team-high 25 assists in her first collegiate start
- Narrowly missed a double-double with nine digs, her third match this season with 9+ digs
- Oliwia Caputa tied a career-high with 16 digs, the third time in her career she has reached the 16-dig plateau
- Arianna Rossi had a match-high 20 digs, her second match this season with 20+ digs, and fifth with 19+ digs
- Audrey Clark gave out 22 assists, her fourth match this season with 20+ assists, while her five digs is the seventh time this season where she has had five or more digs in a match
NEXT UP
The Redbirds close play in the Linda Herman Volleyball Classic with a 2 p.m. battle against Illinois in the final game of the weekend for each squad.
