Box Score

NORMAL, Ill. – LeighAnn Hranka recorded a match-high 15 kills as the Illinois State volleyball team defeated the University of Evansville, 3-1, Friday evening at Redbird Arena. 
 
The loss marks the seventh straight for the Purple Aces (11-10, 1-5 MVC), who have not won a match since opening up Missouri Valley Conference play with a 3-0 win at Bradley.  Illinois State improved to 9-10 overall and 3-4 in the MVC with Friday’s win.
 
Meaghan Holmes led the way for UE with a career-best eight kills.  Holmes was followed by Ellen Sawin and Lauren Seyller, who finished the match with seven kills apiece.  Jenn Murphy led the Aces with 27 assists while Katie Klages recorded a team-high 23 digs.
 
Ten ties marked the early portion of the opening set, but with the scored tied at 15-15, the Redbirds scored five consecutive points, led by a pair of Brooklyn Hlafka kills.  They extended the game-ending run to a 10-2 stretch to go up 1-0.
 
Evansville utilized a late run of its own to take the second set.  After falling behind 4-1, UE scored four-straight to take a 5-4 lead.  With the score knotted at 10-10, the Aces made their move, scoring six of the next seven points to open up a 16-11 advantage.  Sawin recorded a pair of kills as the Aces stretched their lead to as many as nine points (23-14) before settling for the 25-17 win.
 
It was all Redbirds in the final two sets, as their defense held the Aces to 19 and 14 points, respectively, to take the match.  Set three was another nip-and-tuck affair early on as the match was tied eight times, leading to a 10-10 score.  A 3-0 spurt by ISU gave them the lead for good as Hranka notched six kills to help Illinois State cruise to a 25-19 win.
 
Set four saw the Redbirds jump out to a 5-1 lead and never look back, taking a 25-14 win to clinch the match.  Evansville got within four points as late as 13-9, but ISU proved to be too much, leading by as many as 11 points on three occasions.
 
The Aces will try to end their seven-match slide on Saturday as they travel to Indiana State for a 6 p.m. contest.
 
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