MURFREESBORO- The Illinois State volleyball team bounced back from an afternoon loss to Seton Hall with a sweep of Middle Tennessee Friday night at the Blue Raider Bash at Alumni Memorial Gym.
Illinois State (4-5) bested Middle Tennessee by scores of 25-13, 25-13, 25-16, after falling to Seton Hall earlier in the day by scores of 25-18, 25-11, 17-25, 25-20.
“We had some nice service runs early in each set that helped put pressure on Middle Tennessee tonight,” said Illinois State head coach Melissa Myers. “This was a good comeback from earlier in the day.”
The Redbirds will play their final match at the Blue Raider Bash Saturday, taking on Tennessee Tech at 2:30 p.m.
Illinois State 3, Middle Tennessee 0
Illinois State salvaged a split in its two matches Friday by earning a straight-sets win over the tournament hosts in the nightcap.
Aly Dawson led Illinois State with 11 kills, seven digs and three service aces. Ali Line added six kills and four blocks, while Jacqueline Twing dished out 13 assists. Courtney Pence led the Redbirds’ back row with 11 digs.
Illinois State started fast in the first set, using a six-point run to gain a 14-5 lead. The Redbirds capitalized on a rash of Middle Tennessee errors, including an attack error on set point, to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
After Middle Tennessee took a 3-1 lead early in the second set, Illinois State scored 18 of the next 22 points for a commanding 19-7 lead. The Redbirds made it a 2-0 lead in the match when Ella Francis finished the set with a service ace.
Three-straight kills from Dawson early in the third set helped Illinois State build a lead. Dawson tallied six of her team-high 11 kills in the third set to secure Illinois State’s second sweep of the season.
Seton Hall 3, Illinois State 1
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 the Blue Raider Bash Friday.
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 Pence led the Redbirds with 15 digs.
Seton Hall 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 boost a one-point lead to six points, 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.
The Redbirds return to action Saturday at the Blue Raider Bash with a 2:30 p.m. match against Tennessee Tech.
