By ISU Sports Information
NORMAL-The Illinois State volleyball team’s season came to a close Thursday as Northern Iowa overcame a first-set loss to earn a 3-1 win over the Redbirds in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Hammons Student Center. Northern Iowa won by scores of 25-27, 25-23, 25-16, 25-19.
Ashley Rosch led the Redbirds with 17 kills and 16 digs, while Courtney Pence matched a career high with 34 digs. Jordan Weatherless and Jacqueline Twing dished out 19 and 24 assists, respectively. Aly Dawson added nine kills, while Ali Line and Jaelyn Keene chipped in seven apiece.
The loss brought an end to the career of Rosch, who earlier in the day became Illinois State’s first four-time All-MVC First-Team selection.
“Northern Iowa played well tonight. Their serve receive and defense were on point and really gave their offense a lot of options and good looks,” said Illinois State head coach Melissa Myers. “We’re going to miss Ashley, but she has given our returners a great example of what it takes to be a successful student-athlete in the MVC.”
A close first set featured 12 tied scores, four lead changes and each team fighting off a set point. Northern Iowa was the first to spoil Illinois State’s set point, with the Redbirds leading, 24-23. The Panthers got their shot moments later, when they took a 25-24 lead, but a kill from Dawson, followed by a Dawson service ace, gave the Redbirds another opportunity at set point, and the Redbirds cashed it in with a double block from Keene and Weatherless.
The second set was similarly close and followed a similar script early on, with eight ties and six lead changes. Illinois State (22-10) built the biggest lead of the set at 20-15, but Northern Iowa (19-13) used a 7-2 run to tie the match, thanks to four-straight kills from Piper Thomas. A service ace from Kendyl Sorge got the Panthers to set point, and an Illinois State service error moments later sent the two teams into the intermission tied at one set apiece.
Northern Iowa shot out to an early lead of 5-1, and later a 9-2 advantage, in the third set. The Panthers led by as many as nine points, but the Redbirds closed to within five points, at 19-14,with a 4-0 run, but Northern Iowa answered with 4-0 run of its own and finished off the set shortly after with a kill from Kayla Haneline.
The Panthers led early in the fourth set, but the Redbirds fought back to tie it at 12-12. The Redbirds grabbed a lead at 15-14, but four-straight Northern Iowa points gave the Panthers the lead for good. The Panthers sealed the match with back-to-back kills from Bri Weber.
The Redbirds concluded their season with an overall record of 22-10. After going 27-6 a year ago, Illinois State’s back-to-back 20-win seasons are the program’s first since 1997 and 1998.
Northern Iowa will advance to face top-seeded Wichita State (24-8) at 5 p.m. Friday.
Rosch, Keene all MVC
Illinois State was well represented at the Missouri Valley Conference awards presentation Thursday before the start of the MVC Tournament, as Ashley Rosch and Jaelyn Keene were named to the All-MVC First Team, while Ali Line was named the MVC Freshman of the Year.
Courtney Pence earned All-MVC Second-Team status, while Illinois State players reserved half the spots on the All-Freshman team, as Line, Pence and Lexi Varga claimed three of the six spots available.
With Thursday’s announcement, Rosch became the first Illinois State player to earn All-MVC First-Team honors all four years of her career. The senior from Fox River Grove, Illinois, is one of only five players in league history to accomplish the feat. Rosch has led Illinois State in kills and points in each of her four years as a Redbird, including this year, with current averages of 3.84 kills and 4.37 points per set, respectively, both of which rank as third best in the MVC. She was twice named the MVC’s Offensive Player of the Week during the 2015 season.
Keene earned All-MVC First-Team status for the second-consecutive year to start her career. The Jacksonville, Illinois, native leads Illinois State and the conference in hitting percentage, at .427, a mark that ranks ninth nationally. She leads Illinois State in blocks (0.85 per set), and her 29 solo blocks this season are the most by a Redbird in 17 years. Keene also ranks second on the team in total kills (329) and total aces (18), and she too was a two-time MVC Offensive Player of the Week pick this year.
Line, a middle hitter from Bargersville, Indiana, took home MVC Freshman of the Year honors after a remarkably consistent freshman campaign. She posted the 10th-best hitting percentage in the conference (.306), a mark that led all Valley freshman. She also ranked second on her team, and third among league freshmen, in blocks (0.77), and was named the league’s Freshman of the Week on Nov. 17.
A libero from Springfield, Pence continued Illinois State’s tradition of strong play from the libero position with a standout freshman season. She ranked second in the MVC in digs (5.01 per set), while ranking second among Redbird players in aces (0.20 per set) and third in assists (1.06 per set). Pence was a two-time MVC Freshman of the Week selection during the 2015 season, winning the award in back-to-back weeks on Oct. 19 and 26.
Varga, an outside hitter from Rockford, gave Illinois State a strong attacking option in her freshman season, as she averaged 2.74 kills per set. She had standout performances against Southern Illinois, when she posted a career-high 18 kills, and Long Beach State, when she tallied 14 kills on a .522 hitting percentage. Varga was named the MVC Freshman of the Week on Sept. 14.
