Decatur, IL — Millikin University volleyball hosted the Lady Blues of Illinois College in Griswold Center for a Blackout-themed match Tuesday evening. Energy within the team and crowd led the Big Blue to a 3-0 victory, bringing them back up to a .500 record of 9-9.
Millikin came out strong with 15 team kills on a .367 hitting percentage. Five of the kills came from Gabriella Ricci on a .833 clip, and Nikkel Johnson added four on .500 hitting.
Francesa Brandonisio opened the match with a high of eight digs with her confidence growing, supported by her teammates and coaches. The Big Blue took set one 25-22 through the contribution of five players putting up kills.
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A thriller occurred midway through the second set as the two Blue squads battled back and forth until Isabelle Martinelle went to the service line. Serving at 17-16 MU, the rowdy Millikin crowd helped Martinelle to show aggression, throwing off the offense of Illinois College and forcing them to take a late timeout. After a small hiccup at point 24, Millikin took set two 25-22 with another kill by Ricci.
Seeing light at the end of the tunnel, Millikin did not hold back. The Big Blue dominated in the third set with five team blocks, holding Illinois College to only 15 points on .086 hitting and causing 10 attack errors on top of their six service errors. MU took set three 25-15, winning the match three sets to none.
Ricci led Millikin with seven kills, followed by Carothers and Maggye Smith with six apiece. Offense was carried by senior setter Alyssa Frederking with 20 assists on the night.
Johnson had a match high of six blocks, also putting down six kills. Brandonisio had a match-high 14 digs, putting her at 183 total on the season.
Senior captain Kyra Carothers calls this win "a step in the right direction" after the Big Blue have shown continuous resilience in the fight of overcoming adversity as a team. "I'm just super proud of my whole team. This was a very well needed win at home, and it was amazing to have so much support behind us," says Carothers.
"I'm incredibly proud of our girls and the way they competed tonight. They came out with great energy, played together, and stayed aggressive from start to finish," says interim head coach Hannah Dick. "Getting my first win as head coach is definitely special, but what makes it even better is getting to experience it with this group."
"We are getting better and stronger every day and doing what we can to be the best version of ourselves," pleads Brandonisio. Dick agrees and expresses excitement on the direction her team is heading in on and off the court.
Following this big win, the Big Blue head to nationally ranked No. 4 Illinois Wesleyan on Friday, October 2 for their second conference matchup of the season. First serve is set for 7 PM in Shirk Center in Bloomington, Illinois, also being streamed on the CCIW Network.
