Redbirds rout Ramblers

Posted on October 22, 2016

jaelynkeene2CHICAGO – Led by the attack of middle blockers Jaelyn Keene and Ali Line, Illinois State swept Loyola on Saturday night at Gentile Arena. The Redbirds improved to 14-9 overall, 7-4 in Missouri Valley Conference play while the Ramblers fall to 10-14, 5-6 in league play.

Keene and Line dominated the offense for Illinois State, attacking at .562 and .533 with 11 and 8 kills, respectively. Aly Dawson added nine kills with 11 digs, while Lexi Varga downed seven kills and a team-best four blocks. Setters Jacqueline Twing and Jordan Weatherless quarterbacked the team with 17 and 16 assists apiece, respectively, while Courtney Pence grounded the team, collecting 17 digs.

“Both Jac and Jordan did a nice job of getting Ali and Jaelyn some good looks offensively. Both were really low error and efficient tonight,” head coach Melissa Myers said. “Our defense has been getting better and better as the season progresses, which has been important in allowing us to keep all of our hitters involved in transition.

“Overall, this was a great weekend for us getting two important road wins.”

Loyola jumped to an early lead until Line tipped the ball over the block for the first Redbird point of the match. Illinois State rallied for four-straight points to tie it up at 9-all. The Redbirds cruised to a four-point lead with kills by Line and Varga, before Loyola tied up the match at both 18- and 19-all. A block from Keene and Varga solidified the Redbirds’ first set win, 25-21

Back-to-back kills by Keene forced the Ramblers to take their first timeout of the second frame as ISU led 10-6. The Redbirds continued to control the tempo early in set two, forcing the Ramblers to use their second timeout at the 13-7 score. Keene continued to stand out for Illinois State, tallying four kills with a pair of blocks. Dawson finalized the second set at 25-20, slamming her sixth kill of the match to the floor.

The Ramblers and Redbirds traded points to start off the third frame until Illinois State went on a five-point run, taking an 11-6 lead. Loyola fought until the end with three kills apiece by Gabi Maciagowski and Sami Hansen, but Illinois State solidified a 25-15 victory.

The Redbirds wrap up their three-match road trip at Indiana State on Friday at 7 p.m. before returning to Normal on Nov. 4.

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