CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Illinois State volleyball team earned a pair of straight-sets wins Saturday to finish the UNI Tournament with a 3-0 record. Sweeps of Syracuse and North Dakota State Saturday, paired with a thrilling five-set win over host Northern Iowa Friday night, helped the Redbirds to the perfect weekend.

Illinois State defeated Syracuse by scores of 25-17, 25-22, 25-20 Saturday morning, before earning the win over NDSU by scores of 25-16, 25-22, 29-27 Saturday night.

Illinois State’s Jaelyn Keene and Courtney Pence were named all-tournament team selections.

“This was the most consistent and efficient we’ve been offensively this preseason, and a good way to finish the nonconference schedule,” said Illinois State head coach Melissa Myers. “Our serving and defense really stepped up this weekend as well, and that consistency on both sides of the ball was key to our success this weekend.”

Illinois State 3, Syracuse 0

Jaelyn Keene led the Redbirds in their win over Syracuse Saturday morning, tallying match-high totals of 15 kills, five blocks and three aces. Aly Dawson added 11 kills and nine digs, while Ali Line and Lexi Varga chipped in nine kills apiece.

Jordan Weatherless dished out a match-high 39 assists and Courtney Pence led the Redbirds’ back row with 20 digs, less than 24 hours after setting an Illinois State record with 44 in the win over UNI.

Both teams held leads early in the first set, but Illinois State (7-5) erased a two-point Syracuse lead with seven-straight points on a long service run by Dawson, making it a 15-10 lead for the Redbirds. Four-straight points later in the set got the Redbirds to a set point, and a kill from Varga gave the Redbirds a 1-0 lead in the match.

Syracuse (1-8) led most of the second set, until a 5-1 Redbird run gave Illinois State a three-point lead at 20-17. Kills from Dawson and Line got the Redbirds to a set point at 24-19 and, after Syracuse scored three-straight points and forced an Illinois State timeout, the Redbirds took a 2-0 lead into the break after a kill from Keene.

The Orange started strong again in the third set, but the Redbirds used yet another mid-set run to take command. A seven-point binge helped the Redbirds turn a three-point deficit into a four-point lead at 16-12 and, after Syracuse closed to within two points moments later, the Redbirds finished on a 5-2 run, capping the win with a kill from Line.

Illinois State 3, North Dakota State 0

Keene tallied a match-high 15 kills and five blocks against NDSU, and Weatherless dished out 39 assists to lead the Redbirds to their third win in two days. Pence registered 23 digs. Dawson added 13 kills in the win.

Keene and Pence were named all-tournament team selections. The Redbirds previously earned wins over Northern Iowa and Syracuse, before finishing off the weekend with the win over North Dakota State.

Illinois State (8-5) stormed out to a 5-1 lead in the first set and never looked back. Runs of four- and five-straight points later in the set helped the Redbirds pull away, and a kill from Line on set point gave the Redbirds a 1-0 lead.

NDSU (2-10) led early in the second set until a seven-point blitz from the Redbirds paved the way for a 13-10 Illinois State lead. The Redbirds matched the Bison from then on, getting to a set point after a kill from Lexi Wallen. After seeing the Bison fight off three-straight set points, Illinois State took a 2-0 lead into the break thanks to a kill from Keene.

Both teams had multiple chances to win the third set, which came down to extra points. The Redbirds fought off four set point chances for the Bison, and missed out on their first set and match point, but finished the match with three-straight points, including a pair of aces from Keene to close out the win.

The Redbirds will return to action next weekend when they host their first Missouri Valley Conference matches of the season at Redbird Arena. The Redbirds will take on Loyola on Friday and Bradley on Saturday. Both matches begin at 7 p.m.