Redbird Volleyball Topples the Braves and claim the No. 4 Seed in the MVC Tournament
Image Courtesy of Illinois State Athletics
NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State Volleyball (16-15) was able to get back over the .500 mark on the last day of the regular season, defeating archrival Bradley University (15-15) in a thrilling four sets.
Things started out hot for the Redbirds, who were able to pull out a convincing 25-19 set 1 victory. After the set reached a 7-7 tie, the Redbirds were able to go on a massive run, putting themselves up 14-9 and not looking back from that point, taking the set with Aida Shadewald and ending the frame with a kill.
After the set one victory, ISU came out sluggish to start the second set, with Bradley beginning to gain momentum. The birds were able to keep it close, however, even managing to rattle off a rally to go up 12-9 at one point in the set. But after Illinois State took the lead, the Braves rallied and wiped that lead clean off the board.
Despite the Redbirds and the Braves sitting at a tie with a chance for ISU to gain momentum and try for a sweep Bradley, the Braves turned it up a notch in the final points of the set. They stunned CEFCU Arena by winning the second set on a 5-0 scoring run and tying up the match at one-all.
Set 3 was more of the same, with some incredibly close back-and-forth action, but ISU stepped up to the plate in a big way and had several commanding leads throughout this set. A dominant 25-17 win propelled ISU to an overall 2 sets to 1 victory, setting the birds up to bring down the Braves and cement their names in this latest chapter of the I-74 rivalry.
The 4th set was one for the ages, as both teams seemed to match each other point for point, block for block, and kill for kill. It all came down to the very last points as the teams found themselves knotted at 24-24, which meant an additional point would be required to determine this set, so Caitlyn Little put the team on her back, slamming back-to-back kills and finishing the braves, and sending CEFCU Arena into a frenzy.
Despite both teams performing rather poorly on the offensive side of the ball, ISU was able to edge out Bradley, with the Birds leading the match in kills and errors. This made for a sloppy yet effective victory, thanks to Caitlyn Little finding herself in double digits in points. Hannah Reichensberger was a sight for sore eyes, reaching 10 pints herself and showing flashes of the brilliant player she is.
Now, the Redbirds look to the MVC tournament this weekend. With this victory, Illinois State holds the 4th overall seed and a first-round bye. They will await the winner of Missouri St. vs. the Bradley Braves, a game ISU could have found themselves in had they not beat the Braves on Wednesday.
Now it is up to the birds to soar in the MVC tournament and chase a title that has been in their sights for years, but now they have a real chance to do something really special.
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