McLean County Times

The Illinois State University volleyball team ended a five-match losing streak with a straight-sets victory over Bradley on Tuesday night in Normal, Illinois. The Redbirds won by scores of 25-10, 25-17, and 25-17.

In the opening set, Illinois State broke an early tie at 2-2 by scoring ten consecutive points to take control and win the set by a 15-point margin. The second set remained close until both teams were tied at 7-7, after which the Redbirds went on a 7-1 run to pull ahead and secure another win. In the third set, Illinois State started strong with seven of the first eight points and maintained their lead for their first sweep over Bradley since the 2021 season.

Illinois State posted a .370 hitting percentage for the match, its highest since November 15, 2024. Aida Shadewald led the team with 13 kills and added ten digs for her fourth double-double this season. She also had her best attack percentage since November last year.

Ruth Ziegler reached double-digit kills for the second match in a row and has now achieved this mark five times this season. Her .400 attack percentage marked her fifth straight match above .300.

Khenedi Guest contributed seven kills—her ninth time reaching that number in her last eleven matches—and hit .462 while adding three blocks.

Arianna Rossi recorded a match-high fifteen digs, bringing her career total to 974 across Southern Utah and Illinois State.

Ella Craggs led all players with twenty-three assists along with seven digs. Audrey Clark provided twelve assists and added four digs plus a service ace.

Hannah Reichensperger finished with six kills, four blocks, and four digs. She has led or tied for the team lead in blocks in six of her last seven matches.

Illinois State will next play Murray State on Friday, October 31 at CEFCU Arena with play beginning at 6 p.m.