Sept. 12, 2008

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CARBONDALE, Ill. - (Friday, September 12, 2008) With three of their starters out with injuries the Redhawks volleyball team defied the odds and picked up their first win of the season with an exciting five-set (25-18, 26-24, 20-25, 18-25, 15-8) win over regional non-conference rival Arkansas State at the Hampton Inn Saluki Invitational in Carbondale, Illinois.

With preseason All-OVC selections Karleigh DeLong (Corona, Calif./Santiago HS) and Aubrey Dondlinger (Palos Heights, Ill./Parkland College) along with starting setter Sarah Barth (Germantown, Ill./Central Community HS) on the bench due to various injuries the Redhawks (1-3) looked to find their offense from other sources and it required moving players into positions that they normally don't play.

One such player was junior Amanda Rickhoff (Bartelso, Ill./Southwestern Illinois College) made her first collegiate start after playing sparingly to start off the year. She finished with her first career double-double with 19 kills and 18 digs.

She was one of the main reasons the Redhawks jumped out to an early 2-0 set advantage including a 25-17 set one win. Rickhoff recorded 11 kills in those two sets including seven in the second. The 17 points allowed is the Redhawks best defensive effort of the season as they held the newly named Red Wolves (6-2) to a .098 attack percentage.

The Red Wolves battled back in the third set winning despite the Redhawks hitting .245 in that frame.

The Red Wolves kept that momentum and coasted to a 25-18 win in the fourth set to force the deciding fifth and final set. It was the first time the Redhawks have played a fifth set this season but had history on their side after going 8-1 in five-set matches last season.

The Redhawks jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead thanks in part to three-straight attack errors by the Red Wolves. That lead quickly built up to a 10-4 advantage for the Redhawks on a Clarie Keaton (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word Academy) ace. The Redhawks finally put the match away with a Rickhoff kill.

Keaton joined Rickhoff with a kill-dig double-double with a team-high 20 kills and 16 digs as she hit a match-high .263. Keaton also added two solo blocks and two aces.

Kelly Benacka (Algonquin, Ill./Jacobs HS) set a new personal best with a team-high 25 digs and led all players with three service aces. Junior libero Molly Davis (Muncie, Ind./Burris HS) added 23 digs and Alyssa Aston (Franklin, Tenn./Franklin HS) handed out a season-best 47 assists to lead the team.

Konae Purcell led the Red Wolves with 20 kills and added 18 digs for a double-double. Erin Neeley had a match-high 27 digs and Laura Bennett recorded a match-high 55 assists.

The Redhawks return to Davies Gymnasium for Day Two of the Saluki Invite as they face Western Illinois in the day's opening match at 10:00 a.m. and then face the host Salukis in the day's final match at 7:00 p.m.