Aces Fall In Three SetsÂ
Jaelyn Keene had 17 kills and three services aces to lead Illinois State to a 3-0 win over the University of Evansville volleyball team on Monday evening.
Keene was the only player for either team to hit double figures in kills. Fellow Redbird (9-7, 2-1 MVC) Stef Jankiewicz led everyone with 30 kills. Evansville (6-8, 0-2 MVC) saw Cathy Schreiber lead the way with 7 kills with Rocio Fortuny completing the match with six. Allana McInnis posted 18 kills on the night while Mildrelis Rodriguez led the defense with 14 digs.
A fast start to game one saw Illinois State take a 5-0 lead. They extended it to 11-3 before the Aces posted three in a row to get back within five. From there it was all Redbirds as they pulled away for the 25-12 victory.
Rocio Fortuny helped UE take a 3-1 lead in set number two as she had back-to-back kills. The Aces continued to lead at 6-5 before the Redbirds came back with six in a row to go up 11-6. They added to it on their way to a win in the set by a 25-15 final.
Another run helped ISU take a 4-1 lead in the third frame. Evansville fought back to tie it up at 4-4 on a kill from Erlicia Griffith. The Redbirds had the response once again, scoring five in a row as they never looked back, finishing the match with a 25-12 decision.
A road trip this weekend will see the Aces head to Southern Illinois on Friday before trekking to Springfield, Mo. a day later to take on Missouri State.
