McLean County Times

The Illinois State volleyball team concluded the final day of the Linda Herman Volleyball Classic with mixed results on Saturday. The Redbirds secured their first win of 2024 by defeating Bellarmine in four sets but later fell to Lindenwood in a five-set match at CEFCU Arena.

Junior Colleen Hege led the defense for Illinois State (1-2) with a total of 33 digs across both matches, recording 15 digs against Bellarmine (0-3) and 18 digs against Lindenwood (2-1).

In the match against Bellarmine, Illinois State won with set scores of 23-25, 25-17, 25-21, and 28-26. Key performers included Aida Shadewald with 19 kills and Mekaila Aupiu who contributed 43 assists and three service aces. Khenedi Guest led in total blocks with five.

Illinois State outhit Bellarmine with a hitting percentage of .264 compared to .226. Senior Mekaila Aupiu matched her career high with three service aces, while four Redbirds achieved hitting percentages of .330 or better: Khenedi Guest, Ruth Ziegler, Aupiu, and Maggie McCrary. Junior Aida Shadewald's performance was notable as she finished just one kill shy of tying her four-set career high.

In their subsequent match against Lindenwood, Illinois State lost with set scores of 25-14, 22-26, 15-25, 25-16, and 11-15. Caitlyn Little led in kills with a new five-set career high of 12. Colleen Hege set a new career high in digs with 18. Mekaila Aupiu provided 36 assists while Sammi Bunch achieved a new career high in service aces with two.

Despite the loss to Lindenwood, Illinois State managed to outhit their opponents (.164 to .152).

Looking ahead, Illinois State will travel to Champaign on Tuesday to face Illinois at 7:00 p.m. CT.

For updates on Illinois State volleyball, visit GoRedbirds.com or follow the team on social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

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