McLean County Times

The Illinois State volleyball team commenced the Panther Invitational with a five-set loss to St. Thomas (4-4, 0-0 Summit League) before succumbing to Milwaukee (4-4, 0-0 Horizon) in another five-set match on Friday evening.

The Redbirds are now 0-3 in five-set matches and hold a 3-6 overall record for the season.

**Match 1: Illinois State vs. St. Thomas**

Illinois State fell to St. Thomas in five sets: 9-25, 25-16, 22-25, 25-20, 6-15.

**Set Summaries:**

In the first set, St. Thomas' .500 attacking percentage led them to a decisive 25-9 win despite an early effort from Illinois State. The Redbirds responded in the second set with a .385 hitting percentage and secured a 25-16 victory after a strong offensive performance.

The third set saw both teams exchanging points until St. Thomas closed with a 5-2 run for a 25-22 win. Illinois State rallied in the fourth set with key contributions from freshman Ruth Ziegler to force a fifth set by winning 25-20. However, St. Thomas dominated the final set with two separate 3-0 runs and claimed victory at 15-6.

**Illinois State Stats Leaders (vs St. Thomas):**

Kills: Ruth Ziegler (17)

Digs: Sammi Bunch (14)

Assists: Mekaila Aupiu (40)

Service Aces: Aida Shadewald (4)

Total Blocks: Maggie McCrary (2)

**Illinois State Notes (vs St. Thomas):**

"Illinois State (.190) was outhit by St. Thomas (.307)."

"Ziegler set a new career high with 17 kills on 37 swings."

"Four Redbirds finished with double-digit digs."

"Shadewald tallied her fourth double-double of the season."

**Match 2: Illinois State vs. Milwaukee**

Illinois State fell to Milwaukee in five sets: 25-21, 25-22, 20-25, 18-25, 7-15.

**Set Summaries:**

In the first set against Milwaukee, Illinois State maintained an early lead and closed out at 25-21 despite pressure from their opponents. The second set featured multiple lead changes and ties before Illinois State emerged victorious at 25-22.

Milwaukee took control in the third set with strategic timeouts and consistent scoring runs leading to a final score of 25-20. They continued their momentum into the fourth set, winning it at 25-18 after maintaining pressure on ISU throughout.

In the decisive fifth set, Milwaukee pulled ahead after initial ties and clinched victory at 15-7.

**Illinois State Stats Leaders (vs Milwaukee):**

Kills: Aida Shadewald (21)

Digs: Sammi Bunch (26)

Assists: Mekaila Aupiu (47)

Service Aces: Sammi Bunch (2)

Total Blocks: Logan Grevengoed (4)

**Illinois State Notes (vs Milwaukee):**

"Illinois State (.154) was outhit by Milwaukee (.211)."

"Shadewald tallied her fifth double-double of the season."

"Freshman Khenedi Guest matched a career high with twelve kills."

"Bunch set a career high with twenty-six digs."

"Aupiu set a new career high in assists with forty-seven."

Next up for Illinois State is their concluding match of the Panther Invitational against Iowa on Saturday at noon CT, available for viewing via Milwaukee's YouTube page.

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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