NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team will begin its final stretch of road matches this season when it heads to play Missouri Valley Conference matches at Valparaiso on Friday and Loyola Chicago on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. starts.
Illinois State (15-11, 8-5 MVC) returns to action after splitting a pair of league matches last weekend. The Redbirds topped then-No. 25 Northern Iowa on Friday before falling to Drake on Saturday. The win over UNI marked Illinois State's first win over a Top 25 opponent in nearly 14 years.
This weekend's contests begin a three-match road swing, as the Redbirds will also be at Bradley on Nov. 11 before returning to Redbird Arena to host Indiana State and Evansville Nov. 17-18, in the team's final regular-season matches of the season.
"This was a tough swing the first time around at home," head coach Leah Johnson said of the matches versus Valpo and Loyola. "After watching film and seeing results we expect the same – and more – on the road. We will have to be sharp and have a great defensive match against both opponents."
Illinois State previously defeated each of this weekend's opponents, topping Loyola (2-21, 1-11) and Valpo (14-12, 5-7) in matches at Redbird Arena Oct. 6-7. Illinois State rallied from a 0-2 deficit to defeat Valparaiso in a five-set thriller Oct. 7. Illinois State is 20-3 all-time against Loyola and 3-2 in the career series versus Valpo.
Illinois State has several players currently ranking among the national leaders. Courtney Pence ranks first nationally in digs (625) and digs per set (6.25), while Jaelyn Keene is seventh in total points (480.0), 18th in kills (392) and 22nd in points per set (4.80). Stef Jankiewicz ranks 11th overall in total assists (1,058), and fourth among NCAA Division I freshmen.
Pence was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week Monday for the fourth time this season, and an MVC record ninth time in her career.
Friday's match at Valpo will be broadcast live on The Valley on ESPN3. Links for live video and live stats are available at GoRedbirds.com, and fans can follow @RedbirdVB on Twitter for live updates and more.
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