Redbirds fall in season opener

Posted on August 26, 2016

TeamPhoto2016By ISU Sports Information

LOS ANGELES – The Illinois State volleyball team was topped by tournament host Loyola Marymount, 3-1, in both teams’ season opener Friday at the Loyola Marymount Invitational at Gersten Pavilion. The No. 21 Lions by scores of 25-18, 13-25, 25-18, 25-12.

Illinois State (0-1) dropped the first set but fought back to win a lopsided second set. Loyola Marymount (1-0) turned it on after the intermission, however, never trailing in the third and fourth sets.

Aly Dawson led the Redbirds with a team-high nine kills. Ali Line added six kills and a match-high seven blocks, while Jaelyn Keene and Lexi Wallen chipped in six kills apiece. Setters Jordan Weatherless and Jacqueline Twing combined for 27 assists and Courtney Pence led the Redbirds’ back row with 18 digs, the most from any player on the court Friday night.

Illinois State led by as many as three points early in the first set but the hosts used an 8-1 run midway through the set to take control. Loyola Marymount finished off the set with a kill from Jamie Lea.

The Lions scored the first two points of the second set before the Redbirds answered with four-straight points. Illinois State never trailed again and finished off the set with seven-straight points, the final coming on a double block from Keene and Annchara Montgomery.

Loyola Marymount reclaimed the lead in the match as the Lions never trailed in the third set. A 10-4 surge midway through the set helped the hosts pull away from the Redbirds and another kill from Lea on set point gave Loyola Marymount a 2-1 edge in the match.

The Lions used a similar script in the fourth set, building an early lead and maintaining it throughout in a wire-to-wire fourth set win.

Illinois State returns to Gersten Pavilion Saturday with matches against No. 12 UCLA, at 11:30 a.m. CT, and Niagara, at 6:30 p.m. CT.

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