Abby Lewis,
Brandi Petelle,
Megan Stephenson and
Abby Lewis play their final regular-season home match in Redbird Arena in the first match of a regular-season closing doubleheader between Illinois State and Indiana State this weekend. The teams square off at 7 p.m. Saturday in Redbird Arena and 4 p.m. (central time) in Terre Haute on Sunday.
Redbird coach
Sharon Dingman is looking forward to the strange schedule which came about because September 11 events forced postponement of the ISU-ISU match that day in Terre Haute.
Ive never done this before, said Dingman, a 20-year coaching veteran. One of my favorite parts of the game is the tactical aspect; seeing what adjustments teams and players make from game-to-game. It will be interesting to see the adjustments players and coaches make on Sunday based on Saturdays outcome.
Dingmans coaching tactics were well on display in Tuesdays five-game loss at No. 24 Notre Dame. She juggled lineups throughout, using 12 players in the process. Even though the Birds fell short, Dingman believes they can carry something forward.
We should take from that match the importance of staying physical, said Dingman. We should feel good about competing again. Really,
Erin Jones has stepped up to set the tone--she hits hard and serves hard right from the start and the team responds to that.
Jones matched her career high with 19 kills at Notre Dame and added a team-leading 21 digs.
Dingman is just in her second season at Illinois State, but the four seniors all have shown her something special during that time.
All the cliches fit Becky, said Dingman. Great team player, hard worker, leader, competitor ... she has gone way beyond what we thought she could do, and the main reason is her competitive nature.
Lewis, a player who redshirted her first year and saw hardly any playing time her second, has become one of the leagues top defenders this season.
The last two years, it has been fun to watch Abby develop, said Dingman. She is an athlete who has grown to be a everything you could ask for in a senior leader.
Even though she rarely starts a match, Stephensons versatility has made a huge difference in Illinois States record over the past two years. As an outside hitter and middle blocker, she has been the teams seventh player.
As far as hitters go, Megan has been our bench, said Dingman. We put her out on the floor at outside hitter and she gets double-figure kills. We put her out there at middle blocker and she gets double-figure kills. What a great weapon to have!
Petelle, a walk-on transfer from Louisville who has played two years at ISU, has had more subtle value to her team, according to Dingman.
Brandis contributions to this team are much more Monday to Thursday than Friday and Saturday, said Dingman. She hasnt had many opportunities in matches, but that hasnt stopped her from working and helping our team every day, and not just in practice.
