CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Illinois State volleyball team took the Missouri Valley Conference’s regular-season champ and No. 1 seed to the brink Friday, but top-seeded Missouri State prevailed in five sets over the Redbirds at the McLeod Center. Missouri State won by scores of 25-20, 17-25, 25-18, 22-25, 15-9.
Illinois State’s Courtney Pence set an MVC Tournament record with 38 digs in the match, and four Redbirds reached double digits in kills, but it wasn’t enough as the Redbirds fell in the tournament semifinals.
Aly Dawson (18 kills, 12 digs) and Lexi Varga (11 kills, 19 digs) posted double-doubles for the Redbirds. Jaelyn Keene and Ella Francis chipped in 10 kills each. Jacqueline Twing and Jordan Weatherless combined for 45 assists.
In addition to setting an MVC Tournament record, Pence’s 38 digs ranks as the fifth-highest total in Illinois State history.
Missouri State’s Lily Johnson tallied 18 kills and 23 digs to pilot the Bears to the tournament final.
“Congrats to Missouri State. This was a tough five-set battle. We wish them the best tomorrow in the championship match,” said Illinois State head coach Melissa Myers. “I’m so proud of the way our team played tonight – and yesterday too – and especially how we played when our backs were against the wall. We fought to the end and showed a lot of grit this weekend.”
Both teams held leads early in the first set. Missouri State pulled away with a 7-2 run that gave the Bears an 11-7 edge. A 5-0 run later gave Missouri State a 17-10 lead. Illinois State got back within four points of the lead later, but a kill from Simone House on set point helped claim the first set for the top-ranked Bears.
Illinois State (17-15) fell behind early in the second set, but a four-point run gave the Redbirds a lead at 10-9. Missouri State answered with three points in a row, but the Redbirds came back with a 7-1 rally that gave Illinois State a 21-15 edge. Kills down the stretch from Ali Line and Varga got the Redbirds to set point and an MSU attacking error finished the second set.
Illinois State scored the first two points of the third set, but Missouri State quickly got those points back and started to build a lead. A 6-2 spurt early on helped the Bears take control. A 5-1 run later made it an 18-11 lead for the top seed. Key kills from Lily Johnson and Simone House late in the set helped the Bears take a 2-1 lead.
A 4-1 to start helped Illinois State gain control early in the fourth set. The Redbirds slowly built their lead, which reached as many as six points, but the Bears fought back and cut the lead to just one at 19-18. The Redbirds promptly answered with three-straight points and sent the match to a fifth set moments later with a kill from Varga on set point.
The Bears scored the first three points and never trailed in the final set. Illinois State cut the lead to 5-3, but the Bears scored the next four, and six of the next seven, to build a lead the Redbirds could not overcome.
Missouri State advances to play either Northern Iowa or Wichita State in the MVC Tournament’s championships match on Saturday at 4 p.m.
