Birds Back in the Win Column After Chopping Down the Sycamores
Written by Cason Schingoethe on November 4, 2024
Image Courtesy of Redbird Athletics
NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State Volleyball (12-14 7-6) has found themselves back in the win columns after a road sweep of the Indiana State Sycamores this past Saturday.
After the 5-game losing streak that plummeted the redbirds down the rankings, this match was a must-win for ISU, and they did just that, taking down a sycamore team that brought up the rear the entirety of the season at a meager (4-21) record on the season.
The Redbirds got off to an incredible start in this matchup, starting off on a 4-0 scoring run and only grew that lead from there, leading by 9-4, and 17-8 before eventually going on to blow out the competition, winning 25-13, one of the redbirds largest margins of victory on the season, and Illinois State was able to keep this theme the whole match, keeping Indiana State under 20 points all three sets (25-13, 25-15, 25-19).
Shot prevention was the name of the game in this contest as the redbirds were able to hold the sycamores to a remarkable .036 hitting percentage on Saturday, the lowest hitting percentage allowed by Illinois State all season, only allowing 26 kills the entire match, less than 9 kills a set on average. The birds also benefited from mistakes by Indiana State all match, as the sycamores made a staggering 22 errors to the Birds 12, and Illinois State was able to capitalize on all of them.
Leading the way for the redbirds offensively in this matchup was Oliwia Caputa, the freshman out of Zywiec, Poland, the only redbird with double-digit kills on the day, with 3 other redbirds tallying at least eight kills on the match (Abby Reck, Khenedi Guest, Caitlyn Little.)
Defensively, for the Redbirds, Khenedi Guest continues to be a standout on both sides of the ball. She had one of her most balanced matches of the season, with 8 blocks to go along with her 8 kills on the day, and continues to be a threat for any team that must put up with her in front of the court.
The Redbirds will end their road trip and return home this weekend, kicking things off with a match against the Southern Illinois Salukis here at CEFCU arena. After SIU, the birds will host Missouri State on November 9th. In addition, they will celebrate senior night, honoring Megan Haynes and Mekaila Aupiu on this special night.
