MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Behind stellar outings from Ruth Ziegler and Jillian Ferrill, the Illinois State volleyball team completed a three-set sweep of the Central Michigan Chippewas on Friday afternoon by scores of 25-18, 25-22, 25-12. Ziegler had eight service aces – tied for the second-most in a match in program history – while Ferrill had 18 kills – making her one of just four freshmen this season in the NCAA with an 18-kill effort in a three-set match.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set (25-18): The Redbirds and Chippewas battled back and forth through the first 18 points of the set, with the teams deadlocked at 9-9. ISU fought back and scored six consecutive points – including three consecutive aces from Ruth Ziegler – to stretch to a 15-9 lead. From there, the Redbirds cruised to the 25-18 opening-set win.
Second Set (25-22): Central Michigan rallied from their opening-set loss, running out to an 8-4 lead. Out of an ensuing timeout, ISU scored four consecutive points to re-tie the score. The teams also found themselves tied at 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14, before the Redbirds stretched out the lead to 18-15 on a 4-1 ISU run. CMU fought back in the close set to tie the score at 19, the ninth tie score of the set, before the 10th and 11th tie scores came with the teams tied at 20 and 21. Trailing 21-20 set up the heroics of the Ziegler show, as she had a kill to tie the score at 21-21, before following with three consecutive aces – her second stretch of three straight aces in the match – to stretch the Redbird advantage to 24-21, before Logan Grevengoed knocked down a kill to close the 25-22 set victory.
Third Set (25-12): The Redbirds scored the first four points of the third set, and ISU never trailed, despite the Chippewas knotting the score at 8-8. After the tie, Illinois State scored 12 consecutive points, to extend out to a 20-8 lead, as ISU closed out the 25-12 third-set win for the team's third consecutive sweep early in the season.
KEY STATISTICS
- Illinois State started with the lineup of 1 Ziegler, 6 Grevengoed, 9 Ella Craggs, 11 Jillian Gregory, 14 Jillian Ferrill, 15 Addisyn Pohl, and liberos 5 Sammi Bunch and 17 Peyton Turner
- The Redbirds improve to 9-6 all-time against Central Michigan
- Ziegler, the reigning MVC Player of the Week, had eight service aces, more than doubling her previous career high of three, set in the Seton Hall Tournament finale against Fairleigh Dickinson
- The aces total is tied for the second-most in a match in program history, alongside Emily Kabbes who had eight in a five-set win over Southern Illinois on October 10, 2003.
- The three-set school record – and total game record – is 11 set by Chris Rehor on November 12, 1986 against Loyola Chicago
- The eight aces are tied for the most NCAA this season for players in a three-set match, along with Jenna Legault of Fresno State (against Southern Utah) and Delanie Grevengoed of Appalachian State (against Bryant)
- Ziegler also added seven kills and two digs for the Birds
- Ferrill had a career-high 18 kills, the second time she has reached the double-figure kill plateau during her career
- Her 18 kills are tied for 15th-most in the NCAA this season for players in a three-set match, and tied for the third-most by a freshman in those matches
- She had her 18 kills on 32 attempts with an attack percentage of .406, while adding five digs
- Craggs dished out a match-high 19 assists on the night, while adding a match-high 14 digs for the team's first double-double of the season
- Audrey Clark added a dozen assists for the Redbirds, with eight digs as she flirted with a double-double of her own
- Gregory had seven kills and two service aces, helping the Redbirds to their season-high aces mark
- Bunch had nine digs and five assists from her Libero position for ISU
- ISU's 11 service aces are the most in a match by the program since October 16, 2023 in a five-set match against Bradley, and the most in a three-set match since the team had 12 against Southeast Missouri State on September 3, 2022
- The 11 aces are tied for the 12th-most in a three-set match in the NCAA this season
- The win was ISU's third consecutive 3-0 sweep victory, the second time in the last two years that the Redbirds have won at least three consecutive matches by sweep
- In 2025 the Redbirds had four consecutive sweeps, as ISU swept Bradley (October 28), Murray State (October 31), Evansville (November 7), and Indiana State (November 8)
NEXT UP
The Redbirds will spend the night in Mount Pleasant, matching up with the Chippewas again on Saturday morning (11 a.m. CT first serve), before traveling to Ypsilanti, Michigan, to take on the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Sunday afternoon.
