By WJBC Staff
NORMAL – Courtney Pence recorded the 1,000th dig of her collegiate career and Aly Dawson tallied a career-high 27 kills, but it wasn’t enough as the Illinois State volleyball team fell to visiting Missouri State in five sets Friday night at Redbird Arena. Missouri State won by scores of 20-25, 25-19, 18-25, 25-20, 15-11.
Dawson tallied her 27 kills on just 51 swings, good for a .412 hitting percentage, while also chipping in 18 digs for a double-double. Dawson’s 27 kills are tied for the fourth most by an Illinois State player in a match at Redbird Arena.
Pence registered 25 digs in Friday’s match, including the 1,000th of her career in the fourth set. She became the 13th player in program history to reach 1,000 career digs, and just the third to do it in her second season.
Jaelyn Keene added 16 kills, four aces and four blocks in the loss, while Ali Line chipped in nine kills.
A close opening set saw seven tied scores and six lead changes. The lead changed hands for good, though, when the Redbirds used a seven-point outburst late in the set, turning a two-point deficit into set point. The seven-point binge featured three aces from Keene and, after the Bears fought off a set point, Dawson gave the Redbirds an early lead with a kill on set point.
Missouri State (15-7, 6-2 MVC) rebounded quickly in the second set, shooting out to a 9-2 lead and forcing a Redbird timeout. Illinois State answered with seven-straight points to tie the game, but Missouri State came back with the final meaningful run in the set, scoring six-straight points to take a 15-9 lead and reestablishing a lead it would not relent the rest of the set.
The Redbirds (12-8, 5-3) led early in the third set until the Bears used a five-point rally to take a 12-11 lead. A five-point run by Illinois State moments later, however, helped the hosts regain the lead for good. Kills down the stretch from Dawson and Line helped the Redbirds gain a 2-1 advantage in the match.
Back and forth early in the fourth set, the Bears took control with five-straight points to break a 7-7 tie. The Bears led by as many as six points at 18-12, but the Redbirds used a 6-1 rally to get back within a point. Missouri State forced a fifth set, though, by scoring four-straight points to finish off the set, the final point coming from Lily Johnson, who led the Bears with 25 kills.
Missouri State carried the momentum into the fifth and never trailed in the final set. Dawson and Keene combined for nine kills in the set, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Missouri State’s balanced attack and relentless defense, which earned a side out on all but one Redbird serves in the final set.
The Redbirds return to action Sunday when they host Wichita State at 1 p.m. at Redbird Arena. Fans can from the Illinois State Athletics Ticket Office, online at GoRedbirds.com/Tickets, in-person by visiting the ticket office at the north entrance to Redbird Arena, or by calling (309) 438-8000.
Sunday’s match will also be broadcast live on ESPN3. Links for live video, audio and stats can be found at GoRedbirds.com, and fans can follow @RedbirdVB on Twitter for live updates.
