Redbird Volleyball heats up with back-to-back sweeps ahead of MVC tournament

IMAGE COURTESY OF REDBIRD ATHLETICS

NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team got back on track in a big way Tuesday night, sweeping Bradley (25-10, 25-17, 25-17) at Redbird Arena to halt a five-match losing streak.

The Redbirds combined efficiency and energy for one of their sharpest performances of the season.

First Set: After a brief 2-2 tie, ISU erupted for 10 straight points and cruised to a 25-10 win —its largest set margin this year.

Second Set: Bradley kept pace early, tying it at 7-7, before ISU pulled away on a 7-1 surge. Setter Ella Craggs distributed the offense with poise, and the Redbirds claimed another 25-17 victory.

Third Set: ISU jumped out 7-1 and never looked back, sealing its first sweep of the Braves since 2021.

Aida Shadewald led the attack with 13 kills and 10 digs, her fourth double-double of the year, while hitting .462. Ruth Ziegler added 10 kills on .400 hitting, her fifth straight match above .300. Khenedi Guest chipped in seven kills and three blocks, and Hannah Reichensperger contributed six kills, four blocks, and four digs.

Defensively, Arianna Rossi collected 15 digs, surpassing 970 for her Division I career, while Craggs and Audrey Clark combined for 35 assists. ISU hit .370 as a team — its best mark since November 2024 — and held Bradley to just .151.

ISU continued their dominant homestand with their second consecutive sweep against the Murray State Racers in the Monster match on Halloween night.

Illinois State came into the match riding some incredible momentum from their victory over rival Bradley and rode it all the way to the bank once again hitting over .300 (.313 to be exact) on the match, with Ruth Ziegler leading the charge from the get-go.

Ziegler has emerged as a go-to-attacker for the Redbirds, and she continues to shine, hitting a remarkable .750 on Friday securing 13 kills on 16 tries in just three sets of play. Of players who have competed in at least 15 sets this season, she own the 18^th highest hitting percentage in the country.

“It just feels so good to contribute and help the team out” Ziegler said when asked about her performance in the third set. “Bringing positive energy…back-to-back kills doesn’t happen without the team working together.”

Redshirt Junior Logan Gravengood got the start up front for Illinois State and played a pivotal role in holding Murray States top hitter Ella Vogel to just a .087 hitting percentage and just six kills compared to the 21 she had when ISU visited Murray State earlier in the season.

“We talked a ton in scout about how she was our priority and just giving her the respect she deserved” Gravengood said. “Not that we anticipated it, but we talked about it all week, and that was our plan.”

Illinois State continues to see production from their setters, specifically freshman Ella Craggs who tallied 21 assists on the match with 4 service aces from behind the service line continuing her ascension up the MVC leaderboards, with a 6.21 overall assist per set total that places her fifth in the conference.

The Redbirds will have a week of rest and practice before the last stretch of conference play before the MVC tournament finishing their home schedule with two matches hosting the Evansville Purple Aces on Friday November 7^th, and rival Indiana State on Senior night Saturday, November 8^th.

To follow along as Redbird Volleyball concludes the regular season, and to stay up to date with ISU sports visit wznd.com.