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Indiana State Volleyball Rolls Past Evansville, 3-1

Women's Volleyball ISU Athletics

Great Sycamore Volleyball Rally Falls Short In Loss At 3-2 Bradley Friday

KEVIN JENISON

GoSycamores.com

 

PEORIA, Ill. – The Indiana State volleyball team staged quite a rally on the road Friday night but fell just short of victory as the Bradley Braves outlasted the Sycamores 3-2 (25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 23-25, 15-12) in a Missouri Valley Conference game in the Renaissance Coliseum.

 

After dropping the first two sets, the Sycamores fought back and were able to win sets three and four to force a fifth and deciding set. Indiana State dug themselves into a deep hole early in that final set as Bradley raced out to a 6-1 lead which forced Sycamore head coach Traci Dahl to use both of her timeouts early.

 

Indiana State did rally and trailed 9-7 after kills by freshman outside hitter Bree Spangler and senior outside hitter Morgan Dall and a service ace from sophomore defensive specialist Taylor Reckards. The Sycamore stayed closed the rest of the set but never could quite catch the Braves despite three more kills from Dall and one from Spangler. Bradley took the fifth set 15-12 and won the game three sets to two.

 

Dall finished the game with a career game high 27 kills and a .269 hitting percentage. The senior is now fourth on the career kill list with 1,192 career kills as she moved past Julie Meshberger (1,187 kills from 1992-1995) and Brittanie Stowell (1,174 kills from 2001-2004). Dall also had 14 digs for her 25th double-double while also picking up two service aces and two blocks. She also had a career game high of 30 points in the game.

 

Spangler contributed 18 kills while hitting a career game high of .429 hitting percentage with just three errors in 35 attempts. Senior setter Loni Mackinson had 45 assists and 17 digs for her 21st career double-double while senior libero Molly Murphy had 16 digs and a career game high of four service aces. Junior middle blocker Kyla Thomas and sophomore middle blocker Cassandra Willis had three blocks each.

 

The Sycamores held the early advantage in the opening set as Morgan Dall knocked down two kills, Cassandra Willis one and Molly Murphy added a service ace to push the Sycamores to an early 5-2 advantage. Indiana State still had the lead at 10-9 after a Bradley error and Dall's third kill of the set but then the Braves rallied for five straight points to take the lead for good at 14-10. Indiana State kept up the pressure and rallied back to trail 15-14 but that was as close as they would get. Dall's sixth kill of the set and a Kyla Thomas service ace had the Sycamores within two at 21-19 but the Braves scored four of the next six points to take the set 25-21.

 

The second set was tied five times in the early going before the Braves broke away from an 11-all score with four straight points. Indiana State answered with a run of their own as Bree Spangler knocked down her third kill of the set and then assisted on a block with Kyla Thomas, and Shannon Murphy recorded a service ace as the Sycamores tied the set for the final time at 15. Bradley scored five of the next six points and held on from there to post a 25-19 set win.

 

Indiana State never trailed in the third set but they also never had a commanding lead. A pair of Dall kills, one from Spangler, a Thomas kill and a block from Mackinson and Thomas pushed the Sycamores to their largest lead at 24-19 late in the set.  Bradley rallied with four straight ahead of an Indiana State time out. Dall sealed the Sycamore set win with her eighth kill of the set at Indiana State won 25-23.

 

The fourth set was a tight battle from start to finish with 16 ties and five lead changes. Indiana State took their first lead of the set at 5-4 off a Spangler kill. A 5-1 run later in the set put Bradley back on top 13-10 but the Sycamores rallied to regain the advantage on kills by Spangler and Thomas along with a Molly Murphy ace. Bradley was able to gain the lead one more time but a kill by Dall back in front. It was point for point for most of the rest of the way but kills by Mackinson and Dall along with a block by Dall and Thomas sealed the set win at 25-23.

 

Indiana State drops to 7-8 on the season and 1-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference with the loss. The Sycamores will be back on the road Saturday as they visit the Loyola Ramblers (7-9, 2-3 MVC) with first serve scheduled for 8 p.m. (ET). Loyola lost to visiting Illinois State Friday 3-1.

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Players Mentioned

Morgan Dall

#25 Morgan Dall

OH/RS
5' 11"
Freshman
Loni Mackinson

#21 Loni Mackinson

S
5' 10"
Freshman
Molly Murphy

#22 Molly Murphy

OH/RS
6' 1"
Freshman
Kyla Thomas

#5 Kyla Thomas

MB
6' 0"
Freshman
Cassandra Willis

#15 Cassandra Willis

MB
6' 1"
Freshman
Bree Spangler

#12 Bree Spangler

OH
6' 1"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Morgan Dall

#25 Morgan Dall

5' 11"
Freshman
OH/RS
Loni Mackinson

#21 Loni Mackinson

5' 10"
Freshman
S
Molly Murphy

#22 Molly Murphy

6' 1"
Freshman
OH/RS
Kyla Thomas

#5 Kyla Thomas

6' 0"
Freshman
MB
Cassandra Willis

#15 Cassandra Willis

6' 1"
Freshman
MB
Bree Spangler

#12 Bree Spangler

6' 1"
Freshman
OH