KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State volleyball team struggled in the first two sets and found themselves down 0-2 but rallied to take the next three sets and close out their non-conference schedule with a 3-2 (20-25, 12-25, 25-23, 25-12, 17-15) win over the visiting Saint Louis Billikens.
This was the second time this season that Indiana State lost the first two sets in a five set game but the first time this season that the Sycamores were able to come back to earn the win. The last time Indiana State accomplished the feat was on Nov. 16, 2012, when the Sycamores rallied to defeat Evansville 3-2.
The Sycamores improved to 9-12 on the season and will take a 2-7 Missouri Valley Conference record into Friday's home game against the Illinois State Redbirds. Saint Louis fell to 8-14 on the year and lost for the second straight week in a mid week game where they led 2-0 after the first two sets.
Illinois State dropped a 3-1 (25-15, 22-25, 28-30, 22-25) decision to visiting Valparaiso Tuesday night to fall to 15-6 on the season. Valparaiso is 19-4.
Senior Morgan Dall led the way for Indiana State with 20 kills and a .348 hitting percentage while recording her 27th career double-double and the ninth this season as she also had 12 digs. Dall now has 1,277 career kills.
Freshman Bree Spangler also had a double-double on the night, the first of her career, with 10 kills and a game high 19 digs.
Sophomore Victoria Swigart also had 10 kill, a career high five assists, and a season high seven digs. Junior Kyla Thomas added nine kills and had a game high six blocks (three solo and three assists) while sophomore Cassandra Willis recorded a career high four solo blocks and added an assist to go along with five kills on the night.
Senior Loni Mackinson recorded 44 assists on the night as she upped her career total to 2,083 assists.
Indiana State took a 14-11 lead midway through the opening set but could not hold on. The Billikens rallied to knot the score at 15 and then take the lead for good on an Indiana State error. By the time the Sycamores called time out, Saint Louis had built an 18-15 lead. The Billikens pulled away from there to take the opening set 25-20.
The second set was tight early with Indiana State tying the score at eight off a Willis solo block. That was the last time the set was even as Saint Louis scored 17 of the last 21 points to dominate the set for a 25-12 victory and a two sets to none lead in the game.
A determined group of Sycamores looked to get back into the game in the third set and took a commanding 16-9 advantage off a Swigart kill. Saint Louis slowly worked their way back into the contest and trailed 22-21 ahead of an Indiana State time out. The Billikens were able to knot the score at 23 but Indiana State was able to score the final two points on a Swigart kill and a Saint Louis error to win the set 25-23.
The Sycamores had no trouble evening the game at two-sets each with a dominating performance in the fourth set. Indiana State scored the first three points of the set and was never headed and was up 14-3 midway through the set before pulling out a 25-12 victory.
The fifth set was back-and-forth the entire way. Saint Louis took a 2-0 lead but the Sycamores fought back to knot the score at two before gaining the upper hand at 4-3 off a Willis kill. The set was tied six more times before Indiana State opened an 11-9 advantage after a Thomas kill. The Sycamores kept the lead until Saint Louis evened the score at 14 but a block by Thomas and Mackinson kept Indiana State in front 15-14. The set was tied again at 15 before the Sycamore regained the advantage on a Saint Louis error and then capped the comeback win on a Spangler kill for the 17-15 win.
