A scheduling odyssey which began as a planned journey to Salt Lake City, continued with a cancelled trip to Michigan has produced a home match for the Illinois State volleyball team. The Redbirds will play at 7 p.m. Tuesday vs. Marquette at Redbird Arena.
The scheduling has kept head coach
Sharon Dingman busy, but she was excited when Marquette coach Laura Farina called her.
Laura called and we told her wed love to play and we really wanted to host. She said that was fine with them, said Dingman. Everything is in place here to host and, since were traveling this weekend, we really wanted to play at home. Hats off to Marquette for initiating this and being willing to travel. Its a great opportunity for us to play a good team in a very good conference.
Dingmans team did not play over the weekend, but members of the Redbird volleyball team played an integral part Saturday in a community drive sponsored by Radio Bloomington (which includes Redbird volleyball flagship station WJBC) raising more than $778,000 for the American Red Cross to support the victims of last weeks national tragedies.
When I first heard about the it, we were still planning to travel over the weekend and I was disappointed we wouldnt get to participate, said Dingman. But I was pleased with president (Dr. Victor J.) Boschini and (athletics director) Perk (Weisenberger) deciding to cancel all events. Helping collect money for the tragedy was a better experience. Every one of our players wanted to do it. It was a feel-good day in what had been a horrible week.
Marquette coach Laura Farina also is happy to get back to volleyball. The tragedies cost her team an opportunity to play in a tournament at Pennsylvania.
"We are looking forward to playing and feel fortunate to have been able to play against a high-quality opponent on such short notice, said Farina.
It is the first volleyball meeting between the Golden Eagles, members of Conference USA, and the Redbirds, but its not the first trip to Redbird Arena to play volleyball for Farina and three of her players.
Farina, the former Laura Bush, played at Illinois from 1988-01. MU setter Gemma Greer and middle blocker Megan Markowski both played in the 1998 IHSA Class A Finals for third place Wheaton St. Francis High School. A year earlier, Golden Eagle leading hitter Vesna Grbavac played on Palatine High Schools third-place team in the IHSA Class AA tourney at Redbird Arena.
"It will be nice to return to Illinois where several of our players and myself have family members, said Farina, a graduate of Stewardson-Strasburg High School.
The Redbirds, 3-3, will get a final tune-up before opening the Missouri Valley Conference season at Creighton and Drake this weekend.
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Ticket Info.: For the Marquette match, Redbird season ticket holders will be able to pick up their tickets during Arena Ticket Office hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Monday and Tuesday. For non-season-ticket holders, prices are the usual $5 for adults, $3 for youth under age 14 and ISU students.
