TUCSON, Ariz. – The William & Mary volleyball team fell to Illinois State, 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-23), to wrap up day one of the Wildcat Classic on Friday evening. With the setback, the Tribe is now 2-10, while the Red Birds move to 6-6.
 
Senior Sydney Biniak continued to highlight the offensive effort with a team-high 12 kills. Sophomore Autumn Brenner also tallied 24 assists, while junior Katie Kemp and freshman Katie Turner served an ace each.
 
After dropping the first two sets, the Tribe made a strong attempt to force a fourth period. The Redbirds charged out to an 11-6 lead following a 5-0 run. However, freshman Julia Brown and junior Heather Pippus spiked two kills apiece to spark a 4-0 jolt and cut the deficit to 19-17. Back-to-back kills by Biniak and an Illinois State error made it a one-point affair, 23-22. Regardless, the Redbirds took the set behind the swings of Juma Armando and Jaelyn Keene.
 
Notes

• The defeat marks the Tribe's first loss to a Missouri Valley Conference program. W&M entered the match 3-0 against MVC teams, knocking off Southern Illinois twice and Northern Iowa once.
• Biniak has registered double-digit kills in eight consecutive matches.  She recorded an attack percentage over .330 in four of the contest and reached 15-plus in five.
• Sophomore Casey Foote notched a team-best eight digs. It's her first match of the year leading the team in the defensive category.
• Brenner's 24 assists is her best outing in a three-set contest this year.

 
Quotable
"I'm really proud of this team and their ability to bounce back. Before the match, we talked about controlling the things that we can control and playing our game, and I think we did that. We fought hard, played well, and never backed down and that's a win in my book." – Head coach Melissa Ferris.
 
Up Next
W&M closes out the Wildcat Classic and its tournament schedule with a tilt against Western Athletic Conference preseason favorite New Mexico State. First serve is slated for 12:30 PM EST.