DAYTON, Ohio – The Illinois State Volleyball squad rebounded from a loss earlier in the day to top the Wright State Raiders on Friday late afternoon in four sets, improving to 1-1 at the Dayton Flyer Invitational.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set (25-23): The Redbirds jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead in the match and held the lead until late in frame when the Raiders snuck in a one-point advantage at 23-22. From there, ISU used a kill from Ruth Ziegler, an attack error, and a solo block from Oliwia Caputa to secure the 25-23 set victory.
Second Set (25-20): ISU found itself trailing in the second set, before as Wright State led 4-1 early. The Raiders kept their lead until ISU used three consecutive points to turn a 12-11 deficit into a 14-12 lead, and the Birds would not trail again, cruising to the five-point set victory.
Third Set (21-25): The Raiders scored the first two points and never trailed in the third set, despite the Redbirds making a rally late, with the Birds falling 25-21.
Fourth Set (25-23): The fourth set saw six ties and a match-high four lead changes, the last of which coming when WSU held a 20-18 lead, before the Birds scored three straight on a kill by Ziegler, a combo block from Caputa and Ne'Khaela Rogers, and a kill by Rogers to put the Birds back ahead at 21-10. The Raiders climbed back ahead narrowly at 23-22, but a kill by Caitlyn Little, a Logan Grevengoed solo block, and a kill by Grevengoed closed the door on the comeback try, giving the Redbirds a four-set win.
KEY STATISTICS
- Illinois State remains perfect all-time against Wright State, holding a 3-0 lead in the all-time series between the schools
- Ziegler led the way with a season-high 13 kills for the Redbirds, as she also hit .440 for the match on 25 attempts
- Caitlyn Little had 11 kills for ISU, and narrowly missed a double-double with nine digs – her second straight match in the tournament with nine digs.
- Two other Redbirds – Grevengoed and Caputa – each had nine kills in the winning effort, while Hannah Reichensperger had seven
- Illinois State's attack percentage of .275 was the team's highest this season, and the highest by a Redbird team since last seasons MVC first round win over Missouri State
- Ella Craggs gave out a career-high 27 assists in the win, while Audrey Clark added 18 assists for the Birds
- Five different players – Little, Craggs, Caputa, Arianna Rossi, and Reichensperger – had a service ace in the win
- Rossi's 12 digs were a match-high, and the only Redbird in double-figures, while Little had nine and Caputa eight
- ISU had eight total blocks in the win, led by Caputa who had four total blocks including a career-high-tying two solo blocks
NEXT UP
ISU puts a bow on its non-conference season on Saturday afternoon at noon, as the Redbirds will face off against tournament host Dayton.
