McLean County Times

The Illinois State Redbirds volleyball team concluded the 2025 Linda Herman Classic with a loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini on Sunday afternoon. The match ended in three sets, with scores of 25-17, 25-18, and 26-24 in favor of Illinois.

In the first set, both teams were tied at 2-2 before Illinois went on a run, scoring seven of the next eight points to lead 9-3. The Redbirds trailed by as many as 11 points but managed to close the gap slightly before dropping the set.

The second set saw a close contest early on, with the score tied at 10. Illinois then took control by winning three consecutive points and maintained their lead for the rest of the set.

Illinois started strong in the third set, taking an early four-point lead. The Redbirds narrowed the deficit and eventually tied the score at 22. Both teams exchanged points until Illinois secured the final two points to clinch both the set and match.

The announced attendance was 2,874, marking Illinois State's largest home crowd since September 30, 2022, against Valparaiso. This figure also ranks as the sixth-highest attendance for ISU over the past two decades.

Caitlyn Little led all players with 13 blocks—her third match this season with double-digit kills. Audrey Clark recorded a team-high 14 assists while Ella Craggs added 13 assists and matched her career high with three service aces. Craggs' total also ties for most service aces in a match by an ISU player this season. Arianna Rossi finished with a match-high 13 digs; she has reached double-digit digs in seven out of nine matches so far this year.

Looking ahead, Illinois State will participate in the Dayton Flyer Invitational beginning Friday, September 19. The Redbirds are scheduled to play UC Santa Barbara at 10 a.m., followed by Wright State later that day at 4 p.m., and will conclude non-conference play against Dayton on Saturday, September 20.