TUCSON, Ariz. – The Illinois State volleyball team's opening match at the Wildcat Classic was an efficient one as the Redbirds earned a 3-0 win over New Mexico State Friday morning at the McKale Center. Illinois State won by scores of 25-19, 25-22, 25-19.
Big runs were the recipe for the Redbirds, who enjoyed at least one run of five-straight points in each of the three sets. Jaelyn Keene led the Redbirds with 13 kills and seven blocks, while Machayla Leonard and Ali Line added seven and eight kills, respectively. Stef Jankiewicz dished out 31 assists and Courtney Pence led all players with 23 digs.
"This was our best serving match of the season thus far," said Illinois State head coach Leah Johnson. "We served tough and efficient and allowed our defense to go to work. Offensively, we had great balance and were hard to defend."
Each team started the first set with an early rally before Illinois State (5-6) used a five-point run to grab a 9-6 lead. The Redbirds steadily increased their lead before getting to a set point with a kill from Line, and then claiming the set moments later with another kill from Line.
Illinois State ran out to an early 8-2 lead in the second set, but the Aggies slowly chipped away at the lead and then surged ahead with a nine-point blitz that made it a 17-14 lead for New Mexico State. The Aggies later held a 22-20 lead, but the Redbirds scored the next five points to claim the second set. Included in the late run were a pair of blocks, a kill from Keene and a Kendal Meier service ace.
The Redbirds got out to another 8-2 start in the third set. New Mexico State (6-4) never got closer than four points from the lead the rest of the way, and key kills down the stretch from Line and Lexi Wallen sealed the sweep.
The Redbirds are back in action at the Wildcat Classic later this evening, taking on William & Mary at 6:30 p.m. CT. Links for live stats and video are available at GoRedbirds.com, and fans can follow @RedbirdVB on Twitter for live updates and more.
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