NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State volleyball closed the regular season with a four-set win over Bradley on Wednesday at CEFCU Arena.

With the win, Illinois State has claimed the four-seed in the upcoming 2024 MVC Volleyball Championships and will play in the quarterfinals on Sunday at 3 p.m. against the winner of Bradley/Missouri State.

SET SCORES

Illinois State defeats Bradley in four sets: 25-19, 20-25, 25-17, 26-24

HOW IT HAPPENED

Set 1

Bradley got on the board first before a quick 3-0 run gave the Birds an early 3-1 lead as ISU would stay ahead until the Braves responded to knot the score at 7-7. Illinois State scored seven of the next nine points to push ahead 14-9 as the Redbirds looked to maintain the early momentum. Down the stretch, the Birds led by as many as eight and would hold set point at 24-17 as an Aida Shadewald kill gave the home team a 25-19 set one win.

Set 2

Set two would be back-and-forth to begin, as the two teams battling for the lead. Trailing 9-8, Illinois State scored four straight to gain a 12-9 lead and would take a slim 15-14 lead into the media timeout. Out of the break, the action remained tight as the lead would not increase more than a point as the sides stood tied 20-20. From there, it was the Braves rattling off five straight to take the second set, 25-20.

Set 3

After some more tightly contested action in set three, the Redbirds used a 5-0 run to pull ahead by seven at 15-8. The margin would eventually shrink down to three at 18-15, but the Redbirds did not relinquish the advantage the rest of the set. Ahead 21-17, Illinois State went on a 4-0 run to close out set three, 25-17.

Set 4

Set four saw Bradley record an early 5-0 run to lead 6-3 as the Braves remained in the lead throughout most of play. After Illinois State worked to make it a two-point game on multiple occasions, an attack error by the Braves would tie the score at 19-19. The Redbirds would take the lead thanks to an Oliwia Caputa kill before Bradley responded right back with two straight of their own for the 21-20 advantage. The score would teeter-totter down the home stretch, as back-to-back kills from Caitlyn Little secured the Redbirds a 26-24 set four win and give them the season sweep over the Braves.

ILLINOIS STATE STATS LEADERS

Kills: Caitlyn Little (14)

Digs: Sammi Bunch (27)

Assists: Mekaila Aupiu (37)

Service Aces: Aida Shadewald (4)

Total Blocks: Hannah Reichensperger (10)

ILLINOIS STATE NOTES

- Illinois State (.133) outhit Bradley (.123)

- Sophomore Caitlyn Little recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 14 kills and 13 digs

- Senior Mekaila Aupiu tallied her team-best 15th double double of the season with 37 assists and 15 digs

- Junior Hannah Reichensperger becomes the first Redbird with 10 blocks in a match since 2021 (Nicole Lund)

- Illinois State will be the fourth seed in the upcoming MVC Tournament.

UP NEXT

Illinois State will play the winner of No. 5 Bradley and No. 8 Missouri State in the MVC quarterfinals on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. CT.

For all the latest on Illinois State volleyball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team on X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App:  Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.