Following Illinois States fourth straight home-court conference loss last Saturday, Redbird volleyball senior Erin Jones challenged her teammates to turn things around.
Its not (up to coach) Sharon (Dingman), Jones, one of the team captains, said, following a 3-game home loss to SMS. Shes doing all she can. Its up to us.
Dingman accepted Jones perspective.
We put the responsibility on the players to perform like they can, said Dingman.
Well, Jones and her teammates responded to that challenge four days later by hammering Northern Illinois for a four-game Redbird Arena record 79 kills in a 3-1 victory. In that match, the Redbirds did everything better than they had during back-to-back home conference losses the previous weekend. Next, they return to Missouri Valley Conference play with a Sunday matinee match at 2 p.m. in Redbird Arena against Indiana State.
Their confidence restored after meeting Jones challenge, now Dingman says the question is: Can it continue?
We have consistency in the linuep now, said Dingman, who gave each of her 12 of her players at least one chance to start during the teams first eight matches. Now, were moving back to the Missouri Valley and we need to prove we can continue to play as well as we did (against NIU).
Against Indiana State, 7-7 overall, 2-4 in the Valley, the Redbirds will be seeking their first league win in Redbird Arena this season after an 0-4 home league start. The Sycamores will come in rested and confident--Coach Jim Bertolis team hasnt played since last Saturday when it rode a 30-16 opening game to a 3-1 win over a Wichita State squad fresh from stunning Illinois State at Redbird Arena the night before. The two ISUs have played the same league schedule and have the same conference record, the only differences being the Sycamores loss at Southern Illinois (where Illinois State won in five games) and the aforementioned Wichita State outcomes. Outside hitter Kylee Osborne leads the Sycamores in kills (3.43 per game) and digs (2.69)
Illinois States offense thumped Northern Illinois thanks to career-high hitting performances from Staci Boyce (21), Erin Jones (19) and Amber Rogers (13), plus a 19-kill, 8-block effort from Jenny Kabbes. That foursome will join setter Kelly Rikli, who broke a four-game Redbird Arena record with a career-high 66 set assists against NIU and one of two freshman middles, Emily Kabbes or Lindley McDavid. Paige White appears to have reclaimed the starting libero slot. With Emily Kabbes or McDavid the only freshmen in that group, Dingman appears to have settled in on a more-experienced starting lineup.
