DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Volleyball Falls to Illinois State in Three-Set Exhibition Match
8/18/2018 4:08:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
DPU put up a fight but could not defeat Illinois State in preseason exhibition match
DePaul vs. Illinois State | Saturday, Aug. 18 at 1:00 p.m. | Redbird Arena
BLOOMINGTON – The Blue Demons felt out their talent but were topped by the Redbirds in three sets (12-25, 15-25, 16-25) Saturday in a preseason exhibition match at Illinois State.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Despite a back-and-forth battle early on, the Blue Demons slowly fell behind and dropped the first set, 12-25. Â
DePaul jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second set due to an attack error from ISU and a kill from sophomore Emma Price. In a more narrow battle from the first set, the score got knotted at 5-5 and the teams would tie it up six more times before ISU edged away into a comfortable lead and took the set, 25-15.
DPU started off strong in the third set with a 5-2 lead that would soon turn into more back-and-forth play. Regardless of multiple efforts from the Blue Demons, Illinois State came out victorious, 25-16.
LEADERS OF THE PACK
The underclassmen held their own, as the sophomores led the pack in kills, with Emma Price and Isabell De La Rosa racking up six a piece throughout the match. Freshman Natalie Hayward tallied 18 assists and junior, MacKenzie Savage contributed a team-high 15 digs. Â
FROM COACH ZIDEK
"The opportunity to play in an exhibition match was one we desperately needed," said head coach, Marie Zidek. "We have a lot of new players in impactful roles, and today was an important step in getting them some match experience as we move forward into the season.
"Hats off to a really elite level defensive team in Illinois State. They play extended as long as they needed to in order to get a kill, and that was reflected in the stat sheet and the W column.
"Like I told my players, games are more pressurized than practice, and the quicker we can learn to be just as confident in games as we are in practice, the more we will be able to compete through an entirety of a match and become the aggressor. Over-all, this was an important step in our development, and we look forward to our opener at NIU."
WHAT'S NEXT
The Blue Demons will open up their season on the road Aug. 24 at the Northern Illinois Invitational, which will feature NIU, Xavier and Oklahoma. DePaul will play NIU Friday, Aug. 24 at 7:00 p.m. and will close out the invitational with a match against Oklahoma on Saturday, Aug. 25 at 11:00 a.m.
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