VALPARAISO, Ind. – The Illinois State volleyball overcame early deficits in the first and third sets on its way to a 3-0 win over host Valparaiso Friday night at the Athletics-Recreation Center. The Redbirds won by scores of 25-21, 25-20, 26-24.
Jaelyn Keene led the Redbirds with 12 kills, while Ella Francis and Juma Armando added 11 each. Ali Line and Sydney Holt chipped in eight kills apiece.
Stef Jankiewicz dished out a match-high 45 assists, to go along with 16 digs, to record her 13th double-double of the season. Courtney Pence led all players with 27 digs.
"We had a great team effort tonight. Stef ran a very balanced and efficient offense, creating solo blocks for her attackers," said Illinois State head coach Leah Johnson. "We were very steady and battled for each point."
Illinois State (16-11, 9-5 MVC) fell behind by as many as eight points early in the first set. A four-point run cut the deficit to three, at 14-11, but the Redbirds saved an even bigger run for later in the set. An eight-point binge, featuring two kills each from Line and Armando, turned a five-point deficit into a three-point lead at 23-20. A kill from Francis moments later helped cap the comeback in an opening-set win.
The Redbirds broke open a tight second set with a four-point run to go ahead 15-9. The run was spurred by two Keene kills on Jankiewicz assists, and a double block from Keene and Jankiewicz. Kills down the stretch from Keene and Francis, and a service ace from Keene on set point, helped the Redbirds to a 2-0 lead heading into the break.
Valparaiso (14-13, 5-8) ran out to an early lead again in the third set, grabbing an 11-4 advantage and forcing both Redbird timeouts early in the set. Illinois State answered with a 6-1 run out of its second timeout, and eventually tied the score at 16-16. The closest set of the night featured eight tied scores and five lead changes. The Crusaders eventually got to a set point at 24-23, but Illinois State fought it off with a kill from Holt, and then claimed the set and the match with back-to-back kills from Francis and Keene on the next two points.
The Redbirds are back in action Saturday versus Loyola Chicago at Gentile Arena at 7 p.m. Links for live stats are available at GoRedbirds.com and fans can follow @RedbirdVB on Twitter for live updates and more.
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