McLean County Times

The Illinois State volleyball team secured a victory against Bradley in a five-set match on Monday night at the Renaissance Coliseum. This win marks the third consecutive road triumph for Illinois State over their I-74 rival.

In the first set, both teams were closely matched, with Bradley eventually capitalizing on a service error by Illinois State to take the set 25-23. The second set saw Illinois State leading 15-11 at the media timeout and maintaining their momentum to win 25-16, evening the score at one set each.

Set three continued with competitive play, but Illinois State managed to pull ahead after a kill by Hannah Reichensperger, ultimately winning 25-21. In the fourth set, Bradley gained an early lead and held off a late rally from Illinois State to force a fifth set with a 25-20 win.

The final set was tightly contested with multiple ties before Illinois State clinched the victory with a 15-13 scoreline.

Illinois State's Aida Shadewald led in kills with 19, while Sammi Bunch achieved a career-high of 40 digs. Mekaila Aupiu contributed significantly with 45 assists. Khenedi Guest recorded four total blocks during the match.

Notably, "Shadewald has registered at least 10 kills in every single road Missouri Valley Conference match this season," and "Junior Sammi Bunch dug a career-high 40 balls on Monday night."

Looking ahead, Illinois State will host UNI and Drake next weekend at CEFCU Arena. Matches are scheduled for Friday at 6:00 p.m. CT and Saturday at 5:00 p.m. CT.

For more updates on Illinois State volleyball, visit GoRedbirds.com or follow them on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.