MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Illinois State volleyball team made a late comeback bid but couldn’t overcome a slow start against Seton Hall in both teams’ first match at Middle Tennessee’s Blue Raider Bash Friday at Alumni Memorial Gym.
Illinois State (3-5) won the third set to fend off Seton Hall’s bid to sweep the match, but the Pirates pulled away midway through the fourth and earned a 3-1 win. Led by Abby Thelen’s match-high 18 kills, Seton Hall won by scores of 25-18, 25-11, 17-25, 25-20.
Aly Dawson led Illinois State with a team-high 11 kills. Jaelyn Keene added nine kills and four blocks. Jordan Weatherless distributed a team-high 26 assists for Illinois State, while Courtney Pence led the Redbirds with 15 digs.
Seton Hall (3-4) grabbed an early lead in the match by winning the first set. The Pirates broke a 13-13 tie with five-straight points and never trailed again, finishing off the set with a kill from Danielle Schroeder.
The Pirates continued to roll in the second set. After Illinois State scored the first point of the set, Seton Hall ran off the next nine to build a lead it would not relinquish.
A Seton Hall sweep appeared to be in order early in the third set as the Pirates ran out to an 11-7 lead, but Illinois State answered with a 9-1 run that turned the four-point deficit into a four-point lead. Illinois State tallied five blocks in the set, including a double block from Keene and Weatherless on set point.
A back-and-forth fourth set turned when Seton Hall went on a 9-4 run to increase a one-point lead to a six-point cushion at 21-15. Three Redbird errors got the Pirates to a set and match point and Schroeder ended the match with her 10th kill of the day.
