NORMAL, Ill. – Indiana State gave homestanding Illinois State all it could handle Friday night inside CEFCU Arena, but the Redbirds outlasted the Sycamores in four sets (25-20, 25-10, 18-25, 25-23).
Curry Kendall and
Kira Holland led the Sycamores with 14 kills apiece, with Kendall adding career-highs of 18 digs and five blocks for her second straight double-double.
Corinne Knapp tallied 13 kills for the Blue and White, while
Avery Hales added a double-double with 34 assists and 12 digs.
Set 1 | Illinois State 25, Indiana State 20
Holland had the hot hand early for the Blue and White with seven kills in the opening set, including one to give the Sycamores an 11-10 lead midway through as the teams traded early runs. Illinois State finally broke through with a 6-1 run to pull ahead late in the set, but kills from Kendall, Holland and Knapp kept the Trees within three. Ultimately the Redbird run was too much to overcome, as the home side took set one 25-20.
Set 2 | Illinois State 25, Indiana State 10
Illinois state pulled away early in set two and never looked back. Kills from Holland and
Lily Mueller had the Sycamores within a pair at 5-3, but the Redbirds proceeded to win 19 of the next 24 points to take full control of the frame. The Sycamores found themselves with work to do after Illinois State claimed a decisive 25-10 win in the second.
Set 3 | Indiana State 25, Illinois State 18
Indiana State quickly reversed the momentum with three early blocks to start set three, as the Sycamores went on to claim nine of the first 13 points. Aces from Hales and
Macy Lengacher helped fuel another big Sycamore run, with Knapp also putting down a pair of kills during an 8-1 Indiana State run as the Blue and White went ahead 20-12. Knapp and Kendall kept their foot on the gas pedal with late kills, while Illinois State service errors down the stretch helped the Trees claim a 25-18 set three win to extend the match.
Set 4 | Illinois State 25, Indiana State 23
Similar to set two, Indiana State got off to a slow start in the fourth set as Illinois State jumped out to a 12-4 lead. The Redbirds extended their lead out to double-digits, but the Blue and White came roaring back from that point forward. Back-to-back block assists from Kendall and
Ella Scott, along with four kills from Kendall and service aces from Kendall and
Taylor Knuth helped the Sycamores go on an 11-2 run to pull within one late in the set at 22-21. Mueller helped the Trees fend off an Illinois State match point with a kill, but the Sycamores' comeback fell just short as the Redbirds eked out a 25-23 win in the fourth set.
News and Notes
- Curry Kendall' 18 digs and five blocks in Friday's match were both career-high marks, with the junior right side recording her second straight double-double after not having a single double-double in 2025.
- Kira Holland's 14 kills put her at 966 for her career, with the senior outside hitter needing just 34 to become the 13th player in program history with 1,000 career kills.
- Corinne Knapp posted her second straight match with double-digit kills and fourth this season, finishing with 13 kills on a team-leading .370 hitting percentage (13-3-27).
- Knapp is hitting .310 over her last four matches (48-17-100), dating back to Sept. 26 against Southern Illinois.
- Kira Holland (14), Curry Kendall (14) and Corinne Knapp (13) combined for 41 of Indiana State's 47 kills (87.2 percent) in Friday's match.
- Taylor Knuth recorded the first two service aces of her Sycamore career in Friday's match after not appearing in the first two matches of the three-match road trip.
- Friday's match was just the fourth this season where Indiana State had an advatage in blocks (Navy, Green Bay, Milwaukee) and the first time in conference play this season. The Sycamores finished with eight blocks, tied for their most in a conference match this season.
- Seven of the Sycamores' eight blocks in Friday's match came in the last two sets.
- After struggling defensively in the first two sets, Indiana State limited Illinois State to just a .153 hitting percentage across the third and fourth sets of Friday's match (24-11-85).
- Indiana State's third set win against Illinois State win snapped a streak of 18 consecutive sets won by the Redbirds against the Sycamores dating back to October 14, 2022.
Up Next
Indiana State returns home to face Drake inside ISU Arena Saturday evening at 6 p.m. as part of Homecoming.
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