Ali Line and Normal Community High School graduate Machayla Leonard had nine kills each Friday night to lead Illinois State's volleyball team past Saint Louis, 25-23, 25-19, 25-17 in the first round of the Marcia E. Hamilton Classic at St. Louis.
Lexi Wallen added eight kills, while Jaelyn Keene had five kills and seven blocks for the Redbirds (2-2). Stef Jankiewicz had a team-high 24 assists and Courtney Pence led in digs with 15.
“I loved the team’s desire to trust and stick to the game plan,” said ISU coach Leah Johnson. “SLU managed the first set well, so it would have been easy to lose trust in it, but we didn’t and it paid off as we took control of sets two and three.