Redbird Volleyball Defeats Valparaiso

Image courtesy of goredbirds.com

NORMAL Ill.- After coming off a crushing 3-1 victory over the number one seed Loyola Ramblers on Friday, the Redbirds were tasked with another tough opponent the next day. The Redbirds got off to a good start winning the first set 25-19.

The second and third sets were different stories, however. The Beacons got the one-up on ISU offensively as the Birds made many errors. Combining for 19 errors in both sets, the Redbirds were out of sorts compared to their efficient first set. The second set (29-31) and the third set (20-25) both went to Valparaiso. 

In the fourth set the Redbirds turned things around. Junior Sarah Kushner and sophomore Tamara Otene took over, capitalizing on many kill attempts. The momentum was gained back by the Birds as they headed into the fifth set.

“I think it was a matter of flipping the switch again, and we flipped our lineup too. We gave them a whole different look, they were getting in a rhythm with their passing and I thought Cassie was doing a great job blocking at the net” said head coach Leah Johnson on the team’s turnaround in the fourth set.

The fifth set came down to the wire in a close matchup. The Redbirds offense was met cleanly with Beacon defense, and vice versa. However, ISU was able to put it away 15-13 behind 3 important Sarah Kushner kills. 

“I encourage them to take more swings. Because when you’re swinging you’re getting points. When we’re trying to be safe or tricky, you know, that’s when we find ourselves in errors.” said Johnson. 

Junior Katie Weimerskirch, another key player in the Birds’ success, ended the night with 26 digs. This marked her twelfth 20+ dig performance, and more importantly, recorded her 1000th career dig in her ISU career. This is a feat only achieved by 15 other Illinois State volleyball players.

“It really only means a lot because of my teammates… it’s just a number to me really. I just wanted to win that game, I didn’t care if I got 5 digs and we swept them.” said Weimerskirch on her achievement. The Redbirds were led by Tamara Otene who recorded 21 kills, followed by Kaitlyn Prondzinski with 15 and Sarah Kushner with 13. Their record now sits at 5-3 in conference play and 9-11 overall. The Redbirds will play their next match on October 18th on the road at Bradley University at 7 p.m.