ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State volleyball team came up short in an early match against Kennesaw State Saturday morning at the Marcia E. Hamilton Classic at Chaifetz Pavilion. The Redbirds lost by scores of 25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 25-19.
Lexi Wallen set a career high with 15 kills and Courtney Pence collected a match-high 36 digs – tied for the seventh most in Illinois State single-match history – but it wasn't enough as the Redbirds fell to the Owls.
Jaelyn Keene added 14 kills and four blocks. Machayla Leonard contributed 10 kills, while Sydney Holt chipped in eight. Stef Jankiewicz registered a double-double with 42 assists and 14 digs. Wallen also posted a double-double as she paired her 15 kills with 16 digs, which matched her career digs high.
"Kennesaw played well. They passed the ball well and dug everything," said Illinois State head coach Leah Johnson. "We got away from our process but we'll regroup. We are a great squad and will refocus on our process. We will grow from this."
Illinois State (2-3) jumped out to an early three-point lead in the first set, but Kennesaw State (3-1) scored eight of the next 10 points to grab a 9-7 advantage and force a Redbird timeout. Illinois State reclaimed the lead at 15-14 after a kill from Keene, but Kennesaw State answered with four-straight points and never trailed again. Illinois State twice got back within a point late in the set, but the Owls shut the door both times to take the opening set.
Kennesaw State used an early 5-1 run to take control of the second set, giving the Owls a 12-8 lead. KSU then maintained that lead to the end of the set, never letting Illinois State to get within three points of the lead again.
Illinois State led wire to wire in the third set. The Redbirds scored five of the first six points in the set and eventually built a lead of six points at 10-4, and later, 13-7. The Owls got back within a point at 15-14, but three-straight points for Illinois State cushioned the lead. Key kills down the stretch from Keene and Wallen helped the Redbirds win the set.
KSU snatched back momentum at the start of the fourth set, however, surging to a 7-1 lead. Illinois State slowly chipped away at the lead, using an 8-3 run late to get within four points at 23-19. But a pair of Redbird errors on the next two points put the Owls over the top.
The Redbirds are back in action this afternoon at the Hamilton Classic, taking on UC Irvine at 4:30 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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