NORMAL, Ill. – Sophomore outside hitter Bree Spangler recorded another double-digit kill performance but Indiana State couldn't overcome league-leading Illinois State as it fell in three sets (21-25, 18-25, 19-25) on Friday night. Indiana State drops to 15-9 overall and 7-5 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
The Sycamores put up a strong offensive front, hitting .283 behind Spangler's 13 kills on a .400 hitting percentage (13-1-30). Junior middle blocker Cassandra Willis added seven kills while senior middle blocker Kyla Thomas and freshman outside hitter Sarah Peterson each brought down six kills.
“Bree Spangler continued to be a driving force for us tonight, but Illinois State showed why its undefeated in this league,” Indiana State head coach Traci Dahl-Skinner said. “We will take this loss and learn from it as we move forward and advance as team.”
Freshman defensive specialist Danielle Waedekin led the Sycamores with 12 digs in the back row while junior setter Erika Nord dished out 27 assist and contributed eight digs.
Illinois State was powered by freshman Jaelyn Keene who posted a .625 hitting percentage and three service aces, as the team hit .308 overall. Senior libero Emily Orrick's 16 digs and setter Kaitlyn Early's 35 assists helped guide the Redbirds to a balanced offensive attack.
In set one, Indiana State kept it close on a Redbird attack error to make it 10-12. They got within one at 18-19 on a Peterson kill but ISU closed the set on a 6-3 run to win 25-21.
Peterson tied up the second set at 12-12 on a kill but that's as close as the Sycamores came, falling 18-25. A service ace by Early tacked on a four point lead that Indiana State couldn't recover from.
However, Indiana State continued to push as a kill by Spangler and service error made it 17-23 but the Redbirds finished off the set with a kill from Keene.
Despite hitting .353 in the third set, the Sycamores couldn't hold on as it fell 19-25. Spangler recorded four of her kills in the frame, as the team was limited to just two attack errors.
Illinois State jumped out front early, but a kill by Spangler made it 5-6. However, a six point run by the Redbirds broke the set open.
The Sycamores return home to ISU Arena on Nov. 7-8 when it hosts Bradley and Loyola. Both match times are set for 7 p.m. ET.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Volleyball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
