If Sharon Dingman had been an Old West gambler 100 years ago, she would have made sure she didn't leave an opponent sitting at the table without a cent. As a millenium era college volleyball coach at Illinois State, Dingman worries about teams with nothing left to lose, and that's why she's concerned about Friday opponent Wichita State.
"A team like this is particularly dangerous," said Dingman of the Shockers, who are 5-19 overall, 1-12 in the Missouri Valley Conference and already have been eliminated from contention for a spot in the league tournament's six-team field. "They have absolutely nothing to lose, so they will serve tough and swing hard. We can expect them to go after it."
Dingman also cites Wichita State's play in an Oct. 7 five-game loss to the Redbirds in Wichita as an indication of how the Shockers can play.
"The last time we played them, their middles played very well and they really pushed us," said Dingman. "They are a team that has been getting better and better since they stabilized their lineup."
That Shocker lineup includes senior Jan Meloy, WSU's all-time kill leader, plus former El Paso star Carrie Gerth, who will clash with former Central Illinois prep rivals Abby Lewis and Erin Jones from Illinois State.
Conversely, the Redbirds, 13-8 overall, 10-2 in the Valley, enter the weekend with plenty to gain while meeting Wichita State on Friday and Southwest Missouri State on Saturday, both 7 p.m. matches at Redbird Arena .
Illinois State needs just two more wins to guarantee its 14th straight winning season and 27th in 28 years of recorded volleyball history. With two Valley wins, the 'Birds can clinch their 18th straight conference tournament berth. And, with a pair of wins this weekend, Illinois State can solidify its hold on second place in the Valley (Southwest Missouri State is 10-3). Since the first- and second-place teams of the six-team State Farm-Missouri Valley Conference Tournament earn first-round byes, the difference between finishing second and third is huge.
Even though the 'Birds are coming off a 3-1 loss at Louisville, Illinois State's formula for success this weekend isn't complicated, according to Dingman.
"We just need to keep doing what we've been doing well. Even in the Louisville loss, we did some very good things," said Dingman, whose team is 5-2 since a major lineup shift in mid-October. "We're getting more production from our outside hitters. We're digging significantly more balls right now.We're blocking more balls and giving ourselves a chance to dig more balls."
Redbird offensive leader Kendra Haselhorst, with 1,544 career kills, needs just 13 this weekend to move into third place on the all-time Illinois State list. Just ahead is Haselhorst's former teammate, Michelle Kutcher, who had 1,556 from 1995 to 1998. Chris Rehor is the Redbird career leader with 1,773 with Cathy Olson No. 2 at 1,595.
Haselhorst already is the Redbirds' career kill percentage leader at .327 and career blocks leader with 554.
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