Volleyball Falls in a Battle

Friday, October 6

Macomb, Ill.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

2-16, 0-5

Western Illinois

6-12, 1-3

South Dakota State

Western Illinois

Photo by: Jason Salzman

10/6/2017 10:17:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

MACOMB, Illinois—School, career and season records fell, but the South Dakota State volleyball team lost in five sets at Western Illinois Friday night in front of 225 fans at Western Hall in a Summit League match.

The Jackrabbits (2-16, 0-5) lost 15-25, 25-17, 25-20, 19-25 and 17-15 to the Fighting Leathernecks (6-12, 1-3).

Sophomore Ashlynn Smith recorded her third double-double of the season tying a career high with 12 kills and adding 15 digs. Classmate Makenzie Hennen had 10 kills and 17 digs for her third double-double. Junior Payton Richardson added nine kills and hit .318.

SDSU had season highs of 83 digs, 13 service aces, five solo blocks, 18 block assists and 14 total blocks. The Jacks 13 aces are the fourth-most in school history and the second-most in a five-set match.

Freshman Macy Smith tied the school record for solo blocks in five sets with five and her eight total blocks were the most since Wagner Larson had nine block assists vs. Oral Roberts Nov. 14, 2014.

Turning Points
In the first set, the teams were tied at 5-5 before SDSU went on a 12-2 run to take a 17-7 lead. The Jacks had five kills, a block and a service ace to fuel the run. State stretched its lead to 20-9 and finished the set with an Ashlynn Smith kill.

After leading 8-5 in the second set, the Jacks fell behind 13-10 with a 9-2 Western Illinois run. South Dakota State was within two points, 17-15, after a Macy Smith kill and freshman Maddie Fay's service ace, but the Fighting Leathernecks closed the set on an 8-2 run to tie the match 1-1.

A 9-0 run by South Dakota State gave it a 13-4 lead in the third set. WIU responded with a 21-6 run to win the set.

After a 5-5 tie in the fourth set, the Jackrabbits held onto a lead with a 13-8 run for an 18-13 lead. A 7-1 run by State fueled the win.

With 12 ties and six lead changes in the final set, South Dakota State had match point at 15-14, but Western Illinois recorded a pair of kills to take the 16-15. A Jackrabbit hitting error gave WIU the win.

They said it ...
"This one stings. We did some things well, but just couldn't convert points at crucial moments," third-year head coach Nicole Cirillo said.

Notables

Mattison Munger recorded 20 set assists tonight. She now has 1,958 career assists, seven from moving into ninth in career assists at SDSU.
Ellie Benson's 31 kills were a season high and the third time she has had 30-or-more digs in a match in her career.

Up Next
South Dakota State returns to action Oct. 13 when it travels to South Dakota for a South Dakota Corn Showdown Series match at 7 p.m.

For more information on the South Dakota State volleyball team, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksVB) or like South Dakota State volleyball on Facebook.

-GoJacks.com-