By WJBC Staff
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Illinois State volleyball team earned its third-straight sweep as the Redbirds topped Indiana State in straight sets Friday night at ISU Arena.
Jaelyn Keene led the way for Illinois State with a match-high 14 kills and four blocks. Ella Francis chipped in nine kills and a team-high five blocks. Aly Dawson added seven kills and a season-high 19 digs, while setters Jacqueline Twing and Jordan Weatherless combined for 34 assists.
The sweep is the third straight for Illinois State (15-9, 8-4 MVC), after earning 3-0 wins at Bradley and Loyola last weekend.
“This wasn’t our best match, but we had some good performances. Ella really did a great job blocking and limited (Kynedi) Nalls, who is usually a very effective slide attacker,” said Illinois State head coach Melissa Myers. “Dawson had a standout performance on defense and made some quality digs for us.
“It’s nice to get an extra day of rest this weekend before we turn our focus to SIU and Evansville.”
A close first set turned the Redbirds’ way with a five-point run that turned a one-point deficit into a four-point lead at 16-12. Indiana State (9-14, 3-8) came back within to points at 22-20, but the Redbirds scored three straight to finish off the set, the final coming on an ace from Keene.
A big second set from Keene propelled the Redbirds to a 2-0 lead in the match as the junior middle blocker tallied seven kills in a set the Redbirds never trailed in.
A 5-1 run early in the third set helped stake Illinois State to an early lead. Back-to-back kills from Ratasha Garbes moments later pushed the Redbird lead to 17-11 and kills down the stretch from Dawson and Francis helped Illinois State complete the sweep.
Illinois State returns to action next weekend with a pair of matches at Redbird Arena. The Redbirds will host Southern Illinois on Nov. 4 and Evansville on Nov. 5. Both matches start at 7 p.m., and Saturday’s match will be Illinois State’s annual “Pack the Arena” match, featuring free admission to all fans.
