NORMAL, Ill. – Emma Kaelin paced Indiana State with 12 kills Friday night, but homestanding Illinois State defeated the Sycamores in three sets (25-18, 25-15, 25-22) inside CEFCU Arena.
 
Lily Mueller added five kills on a .417 hitting percentage, while Kira Holland had five kills and a team-leading nine digs in her 2024 season debut. Ella Scott led all players with four blocks, with Hannah Baudin and Emily Weber adding three blocks each.
 
Illinois State took an early lead in set one, but kills from Curry Kendall, Kaelin and Holland got the Sycamores back on level terms at 7-7. Avery Hales added an ace and Kaelin put down another kill midway through as the Trees kept pace with the Redbirds, but a 9-0 Illinois State run proved to be the difference. Indiana State fended off five set points on Cadence Gilley's serve, featuring a pair of service aces and a pair of block assists from Scott and Weber. The Sycamores weren't able to fully overturn their large deficit, though, and dropped the opening set 25-18.
 
Kaelin got things started in set two for the Sycamores with a trio of kills, but an 8-1 Redbird run saw Indiana State facing a 14-7 deficit midway through. Holland, Jadyn Smith and Kaelin added kills, but the home side maintained control of its large lead and extended it to double-digits late. Indiana State saw off a pair of set points before ultimately falling 25-15 in the second set.
 
Mueller gave Indiana State early life in the third set with a kill and a block solo, with Weber adding a kill to keep the Trees on pace with Illinois State. Kills from Mueller and Kaelin helped give Indiana State an 11-10 lead as part of a four-point run, with a pair of blocks for the Sycamores keeping the Blue and White on par with the host Redbirds. Holland and Kaelin tacked on kills to knot things up at 16-all, but a late run for the home side shifted the momentum in the set. Late kills from Holland and Mueller pulled the Trees within a pair, but Illinois State held on to take the third set 25-22 and clinch the match.
 
News and Notes

• 2023 MVC Freshman of the Year Kira Holland made her season debut Friday after missing the first 16 matches due to an injury suffered in the Sycamores' exhibition at Ball State in August. Holland led Indiana State with nine digs and added five kills.
• Emma Kaelin accounted for more than 40 percent of Indiana State's kills Friday, finishing with 12 kills on 39 attempts
• Friday's match was the first time Emily Weber returned to Illinois State since transferring from the Redbirds to the Sycamores prior to the 2024 season. Weber finished with 14 assists and three blocks as part of the Trees' two-setter rotation.
• Indiana State's attacking numbers improved from set to set, culminating with 11 kills and a .205 hitting percentage in set three.
• Indiana State finished with more blocks than Illinois State (8-5), with five different Sycamores registering multiple blocks in Friday's match.

 
Up Next
Indiana State closes its four-match road trip Saturday at 6 p.m. against Bradley.
 
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