SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Battling both the tournament host and weather-related travel issues on their trip to New Jersey, the Illinois State volleyball team dropped its 2026 season opener at Seton Hall on Friday afternoon, 25-18, 25-19, 25-23.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Set (18-25): The Redbirds jumped out quickly, leading by two, at both 3-1 and 4-2, early in the first frame. The host Pirates fought back, tying the game at five, six, seven, and eight points, before jumping out to a three-point, 11-8 lead. From there, the Redbirds were playing catch-up, as ISU was able to knot the score at 15; however, Seton Hall scored six of the next seven points to stretch to a five-point lead, and the hosts never looked back in the seven-point set win.

Second Set (19-25): Seton Hall scored the first two points of the second set, jumping out to a 6-2 lead and never trailing in the frame. The Pirate lead grew to as large as seven at 19-12 before ISU began to rally, climbing back within four at 22-18; however, the hosts closed strong in the 25-19 loss.

Third Set (23-25): Seton Hall sprinted to a 4-0 lead in the third set and extended their lead to as many as nine at 12-3. Trailing by eight at 19-11 late in the set, ISU started climbing back, chipping away at the deficit, climbing back to within as few as one at 24-23, before the Pirates closed the door with a kill following a timeout, providing the final point in the opening match of the 2026 season for each squad.

KEY STATISTICS

• It was announced prior to the match that Illinois State head coach Alli Matters will be inducted as a member of the 2027 Class of the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame
• Illinois State started with the lineup of 1 Ruth Ziegler, 6 Logan Grevengoed, 9 Ella Craggs, 11 Jillian Gregory, 14 Jillian Ferrill, 15 Addisyn Pohl, and liberos 5 Sammi Bunch, and 17 Peyton Turner
• ISU's first kill of the season came from Ziegler
• The match was the first collegiate contest for Redbird freshmen Ferrill, Sidney Wright, and Ella Kohnen, and the first competition as a Redbird for Gregory, Turner, Pohl, and Emilija Arsic
• Ziegler tied for a match-high in kills with 10, recording an attack percentage of .381 for the contest (10 kills, 2 errors, 21 attempts)
• Gregory had nine kills in her Redbird debut, while Wright had six kills on just 10 attempts
• Audrey Clark had a team-high 15 assists for ISU, while adding six digs
• Peyton Turner's seven digs were a team-high, while Clark's half-dozen digs were second-most on the team
• Bunch had a match-high two service aces for the Redbirds

NEXT UP

The Redbirds remain in New Jersey and will face off against NJIT on Saturday morning with first serve scheduled for 11 a.m. (CT).