WACO, Texas – The Illinois State volleyball team took No. 15 Florida State to the limit Saturday, but the nationally-ranked Seminoles prevailed in a five-set thriller at the Hampton Inn & Suites North Waco North Baylor Invitational. Florida State won by scores of 25-23, 28-30, 23-25, 26-24, 15-7 at Baylor's Ferrell Center.
The first four sets were each decided by the minimum of two points, but Florida State (2-0) took over in the fifth set. Natasha Calkins and Milica Kubura tallied three kills each in the deciding set, while Logan Holanchock added a pair of aces, to lift the nationally-ranked Seminoles.
Illinois State (1-1) was led by Jaelyn Keene, who led all players and set a career high with 24 kills in the match. Ali Line added 16 kills and a team-high seven blocks. Lexi Wallen set career highs in both kills (13) and digs (16). Machayla Leonard added 10 kills, all in the third set or after.
Stef Jankiewicz directed the Redbird offense and tallied a match-high 64 assists. Jankiewicz also chipped in five kills and 11 digs.
Courtney Pence provided a match-high 41 digs, the third-highest single-match dig total in Illinois State history. Lexi Varga registered 21 digs, matching a career high.
"I feel like they had to respond to us. Until the fifth set, we were in control of the match," said Illinois State head coach Leah Johnson. "I was impressed with how steady we competed today. We never took a point off."
Florida State won a close first set that featured 14 tied scores and six lead changes. Illinois State scored four-straight points late in the set that turned a two-point deficit into a two-point lead at 20-18. Florida State fought back to take a 23-22 lead and, after a Line kill that tied it up at 23-23, the Seminoles scored the next two points to claim the first set.
Illinois State evened up the match in an even closer second set. After trailing for much of the early going, back-to-back kills from Varga tied the score at 21-21. Another Varga kill tied it again moments later at 23-23. Illinois State fought off a Florida State set point with a kill from Line, and another shortly after thanks to a kill from Jankiewicz. A kill from Jankiewicz on the next point gave the Redbirds a set point, at 26-25, but the Seminoles fought it off. Keene got the Redbirds another set point, at 27-26, with her seventh kill in the set. Two quick points from FSU gave the Seminoles their third set point opportunity, but Keene's eighth kill in the set evened the score again at 28-28. A kill from Varga and an FSU attacking error then sealed the marathon set for Illinois State.
The third set followed a similar blueprint. Although Illinois State scored the first four points in the set, neither team led by more than five at any point, at which point Florida State scored six of seven points to tie the score at 21-21. A kill from Wallen, followed in short order by a double block from Wallen and Line, got the Redbirds to a set point at 24-22. Moments later, Line and Varga teamed up for a block to give the Redbirds a 2-1 lead in the match.
Florida State evened the match in the fourth set. The Seminoles shot out to an early lead, forcing an Illinois State timeout at 15-8 after scoring seven of eight points. The Redbirds slowly clawed their way back into the set, however, fighting off three set points to tie it up at 24-24. Florida State won the next two points, though, to push the match to the fifth set.
Florida State carried momentum into the fifth set, jumping out to a 4-2 lead, which grew to 12-5 after a five-point binge. Illinois State rattled off two quick points to prompt an FSU timeout, but the Seminoles rebounded with three points to end the match.
The Redbirds are back in action at 7 p.m. to take on Baylor in their final match at the Baylor Invitational. Links for live video and live stats are available at GoRedbirds.com, and fans can follow @RedbirdVB on Twitter for live updates and more.
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