By ISU Sports Information
NORMAL- On a night when the 2014 Illinois State volleyball team was honored with the unveiling of banners recognizing their Missouri Valley Conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearance, the 2015 Redbirds helped celebrate with a win.
Illinois State (6-2) topped IUPUI (6-4) in the final match of the day Friday at the Country Financial Redbird Classic. The Redbirds finished the day with a 2-0 record, having beaten Youngstown State in straight sets earlier in the day. Illinois State topped IUPUI by scores of 25-14, 25-21, 25-17, in front of 1,021 fans at Redbird Arena.
Ashley Rosch tallied 14 kills and 11 digs to lead the way for the Redbirds. Lexi Varga added 10 kills, while Jacqueline Twing dished out a career-high 40 assists. Aly Dawson added eight kills, and Dawson and Courtney Pence chipped in 13 digs each.
Illinois State never trailed in the first set. The Redbirds scored the first three points of the set and used separate four-point rallies midway through the set to increase their lead. They closed out the set on a 7-3 run.
Illinois State never trailed in the second set, either. A 6-1 run early in the set broke a 3-3 tie and the Jaguars never came closer than three points from the lead the rest of the set. Illinois State finished the set with a kill from Rosch.
The third set was the closest of the evening. After playing to a 10-10 tie early on, the Redbirds used an 8-4 run to take control. A kill from Dawson moments later sealed the win.
Banners commemorating Illinois State’s record-setting 2014 season were raised to the rafters before Friday night’s match. Illinois State won MVC regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
The Redbirds return to action Saturday in the final match of the Country Financial Redbird Classic, taking on Toledo at 12:30 p.m. Youngstown State and Toledo will play at 10 a.m.
Parking for Saturday’s matches will be limited due to Illinois State’s home football game against Morgan State at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Fans with volleyball parking passes will not have access to the Red F62 parking lot, but will be allowed to park at Kingsley Junior High School. The lot can be accessed from Kingsley Street, and a volleyball parking pass will be required. After Saturday’s matches, fans are encouraged to move their cars to allow game day staff for the football game to park in the Kingsley lot.
