Six of Illinois State's ten 2002 non-conference opponents are in the 2002 NCAA Tournament field. Add Missouri Valley Conference champion Northern Iowa and that gives the Redbirds eight matches against 2002 NCAA entrants.
Over 30 years of recorded Illinois State volleyball history, the Redbirds have faced 47 of the 64 teams in this year's field a total of 298 times in 1,161 total matches. That means that 26 percent of Illinois State's all-time matches have come against teams in this year's NCAA Tournament (ISU is 140-158 against those 47 teams). The Redbirds have met 26 teams in this year's NCAA bracket since 1995.
The Redbirds' 795-366 all-time volleyball record will have Illinois State bidding to join just nine other Division I schools with 800 or more all-time victories in 2003. But Redbird coach Sharon Dingman has a tough schedule on tap for next year, too. The 'Birds open with two-time NCAA Champion Nebraska in the Barker GMC Tournament at Redbird Arena.
2002 Illinois State Opponents in the 2002 NCAA Tournament:
Florida 30-2
Florida State 21-12
Northern Iowa 32-2
Notre Dame 23-7
Stanford 27-4
Texas A&M 20-9
Wisconsin 23-8
