NORMAL, Ill. – Indiana State volleyball closed out their final road match of the season with a loss to Illinois State in three sets (19-25, 20-25, 15-25). The Sycamores return home to close out conference play on Friday, November 14 and Saturday, November 15 as they welcome Southern Illinois and Drake into the Hulman Center for the regular season finale.
 
The Sycamores were led by Kira Holland, Hadley Hardersen, and Ava Robart with seven kills apiece. Ella Scott chipped in five kills. Macy Lengacher led the defense with 11 digs, with Hardersen adding eight. Kimora Whetstone and Curry Kendall each added three blocks.
 
Set 1 | Illinois State 25, Indiana State 19
The Redbirds opened the set with a 6-2 run. A kill by Robart would allow the Sycamores to recompose as the teams would battle back and forth, with neither team scoring more than two points in a row. Illinois State would break the streak and go on a 5-0 run to take the lead 23-16. The Sycamores battled through three set points in an attempt to take the opening set, but the Redbirds were able to find a hole on the court and take set one. Despite losing the set, the Sycamores hit .278 for the set.
 
Set 2 | Illinois State 25, Indiana State 20
The Sycamores looked to carry their late momentum into set two, with the first nine points resulting in two ties. Indiana State was then able to take their first lead of the match at 5-4 that included a 5-0 run. The Redbirds would find a way to battle back and go on a 7-0 run to take back the lead, 13-10. A Holland kill would give the Trees a chance to regain the lead; however, the Redbirds would respond with a 6-2 run to build a six-point lead, 19-13. An Ella Scott kill would allow the Sycamores to go on their own run of 5-2 to close the gap 21-18. Illinois State would then find three-straight holes in the Trees' defense to be one point away from closing out the set for the second-straight time. A Holland kill and a block by Whetstone and Kendall, would attempt to bring the Sycamores back in, but a Red Bird set would close the set.
 
Set 3 | Illinois State 25, Indiana State 15
The Sycamores struggled to find a rhythm in the final set. The Redbirds opened the set with a 10-5 lead. Despite two Whetstone kills, the Trees struggled to gain momentum to string together more than two consecutive points, allowing Illinois State to take an 18-12 lead. An error by the Redbirds gave the Trees a chance, but errors plagued the Sycamores as Illinois State went on a 5-0 run to nearly seal the match. Kills by Hardersen and Whetstone would attempt to bring the Sycamores back, but an error ended the Trees' chances to make a comeback. The Sycamores recorded more hitting errors than kills in the final set and added two other errors to tally a total of 11 errors in the set.
 
News and Notes:

• This is the first time this season that the Sycamores' kill leader has been a three-way tie.
• After six-straight matches of opponents hitting .300 or better, the Sycamore defense has held the last three opponents under .275.
• Out of the last five matches, Indiana State totaled the most kills tonight (33) with the third-lowest attempts in the stretch (111).
• Kimora Whetstone has hit .300 or better in four of her last six matches.
• Curry Kendall's three block assists are her most since October 14 against Evansville when she also recorded three.
• Indiana State has now dropped nine in a row, including falling to five-straight sweeps.
  • Seven of the last 12 sets have been lost within six points, including three within three points.

 
Up Next
The Sycamores return to action on Friday, November 14, as they welcome Southern Illinois to open up the final weekend of conference play. Indiana State will then honor the three seniors – Cadence Gilley, Kimora Whetstone, and Emily Weber – on Saturday, November 15 for Senior Night.

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