TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Kira Holland led all players with 14 kills Saturday night, but visiting Southern Illinois defeated Indiana State in three sets (25-19, 25-23, 27-25) inside ISU Arena.
Curry Kendall added 11 kills for the Blue and White, with
Avery Hales dishing out 27 assists in the match. Holland tacked on five digs and a pair of aces for the Sycamores, who finished the match with more kills, assists and aces than Southern Illinois.
Set 1 | Southern Illinois 25, Indiana State 19
Holland got on the board early with a pair of kills,
Ava Robart and
Ella Scott also tacking on early kills for the Trees. The first set continued to be the Holland show, as the Sycamore senior added a kill and an ace before the media timeout as the Sycamores kept pace with Southern Illinois. Two more late kills from Holland, who finished with six kills in the set, weren't enough for the Sycamores as the Salukis took the opening set 25-19.
Set 2 | Southern Illinois 25, Indiana State 23
Holland and Robart put down early kills as the Sycamores and Salukis traded early points, with neiter team leading by more than one until kills from Holland and Kendall gave the Trees a 12-8 lead. The Sycamores extended their lead with a block assist from Holland and
Lily Mueller, and maintained their advantage for most of the set until a run from the visitors tied it at 18-all. SIU overcame late service errors down the stretch to narrowly take set two 25-23, putting Indiana State in a 2-0 hole.
Set 3 | Southern Illinois 27, Indiana State 25
Indiana State got off to a slow start in the third, as SIU built a 6-1 lead before two kills from
Corinne Knapp gave the Trees life. Kendall and Holland tacked on kills to pull the Sycamores within a pair, but Southern Illinois went on another run to push its lead to 15-8 at the media timeout. Facing a seven-point deficit, the Sycamores rallied back behind a balanced output, with Kendall leading the charge with four kills in a 15-point span to pull within a pair. An ace from Holland, combined with kills from Kendall and Knapp, helped the Sycamores rally back to go in front 24-23 and force set point. Indiana State couldn't finish off the set, though, as SIU scored three of the last four points to claim the third set 27-25 and clinch the match.
News and Notes
- Kira Holland finished with a match-high 14 kills, recording double-digit kills for the fourth time in the last five matches.
- Corinne Knapp came up big when her number was called, with six kills in 12 attempts in the third set of Saturday's match.
- Indiana State steadily improved from set to set in terms of attack, hitting .310 in the third set (19-6-42) after hitting under .200 in each of the first two sets.
- The Sycamores' third set successes in attack coincided with a pair of lineup changes, as Corinne Knapp (six kills, .333 hitting percentage) and Sydney King (two kills on two attempts) featured in the rotation after not playing in the first two sets.
- Indiana State ran a new starting lineup in Saturday's match, with Chloe Gilley, Hadley Hardersen and Taylor Knuth all drawing the starting nod after not starting in any of the last four matches
- Indiana State finished with more kills (43-36), assists (41-36) and aces (2-1) than Southern Illinois in Friday's match.
Up Next
Indiana State begins a three-match road trip Friday night in the Music City, as the Sycamores face Belmont for a 7 p.m. ET first serve.
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