Defending NCAA Champion Stanford, with former national prep player of the year Ogonna Nnamani, heads of list of old friends and great teams Sharon Dingman has lined up to face her 2002 Illinois State volleyball team.
Redbird Arena fans, who have made Illinois State one of just seven programs to average 2,000 or more in home volleyball attendance over the past 10 years and one of only 10 teams to draw more than 250,000 during that span, will have plenty of attractions in a 14-date home schedule which mixes power teams and familiar names. Five of Illinois States 10 USA non-conference opponents were ranked in the nations Top 25 last year.
Nnamani, who led University High School to a pair of IHSA Class A State Titles, will come home to Redbird Arena to face former prep teammates and current Redbirds Wendi Roesch and Paige White, Sept. 11 in Redbird Arena (with special ceremonies in remembrance of the tragic events of 9/11/01). White and Roesch are two of the six Redbirds from Bloomington-Normal on Dingmans 2002 squad.
Other old friends coming home to Redbird Arena include former Olympia High School star Jennifer Anderson and U-High legend Heidi Kuethe. Anderson brings her Florida State team and Kuethe leads the Marshall Thundering Herd back to their personal roots as part of the Barker GMC Classic, which opens the season Aug. 30-31. Anderson and 2002 Redbird freshman Laura Doornbos both played at Olympia, where Andersons mother, LeAnn Anderson, is the head coach. Southeastern Conference power Alabama rounds out the Barker Classic lineup.
Redbird coach Sharon Dingman sees plenty of challenges ahead for her 2002 team, which returns all-conference players Jenny Kabbes and Megan OConnell.
We have six matches against 2001 Top 25 teams on this schedule, with three of them being at home (Stanford, Notre Dame, and Northern Iowa), said Dingman, whose team finishes the regular season with a trip to Disneys Wide World of Sports for the Conference Challenge in Orlando, Fla. It's not often Missouri Valley programs have a chance to play a defending national champion, especially at home. The former area high school stars returning to Redbird Arena will just make the matches that much more exciting.
Led by defending champion Northern Iowa, Dingman expects the Valley to be tough, too.
I believe the Valley will be strongest it has been in my three years here, said Dingman. There are talented young players in the league who are ready to help our league explode on the national scene. Every night at Redbird Arena will be a huge challenge.
The Birds will see more familiar faces in the second weekend of the season. Former Illinois State assistant coach Pete Waite, now operating the nationally-ranked program at Wisconsin, made his Wisconsin debut three years ago in the Barker Classic. Now, Waite plays host to the Redbirds, Big XII Conference power Texas A&M and the University of Montreal in the Wisconsin Classic.
After the Stanford match, the 2002 Missouri Valley Conference schedule opens with a bang. Northern Iowa and the Redbirds hook up Sept. 14, the day after Illinois State begins league play against Bradley in Redbird Arena.
Although the traditional mailing to existing season ticket holders wont go out until June, tickets are on sale now at the Redbird Arena Ticket Office. For more information call the ticket office at (309) 438-8000 or click in at www.redbirds.org for ordering information.
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Homecoming Quotes & Notes
Here are quotes from three former Central Illinois prep stars who will be returning home to play at Redbird Arena in 2002 against Illinois State:
JENNIFER ANDERSON, Florida State, Setter, former Olympia High School star:
This trip is a dream come true. I am thrilled about the opportunity to return to Illinois and play in front of my hometown crowd. It is exciting that I will get to play in front of my friends and family in Redbird Arena. It is a great place to watch and play volleyball. When I was young, I used to go to Redbird Arena and watch Illinois State play. I am very excited about the opportunity to play on the very same court where I used to watch the Redbirds play volleyball.
NOTES: Andersons parents, Phil and LeAnn (Olympia High School head volleyball coach), both are Illinois State alums and her sister, Michelle, is an Illinois State student.
HEIDI KUETHE, Marshall, Outside Hitter, former University High School star:
It is both exciting and overwhelming to return to Illinois State to play. I have countless memories of sitting in the Arena and cheering for the Redbirds as a kid and can only imagine the emotion and joy of playing in front of my home crowd one more time. Being a college athlete is an experience that I cannot even begin to explain and I cant think of a better way to start my senior season than by coming back to Redbird Arena.
NOTES: Kuethes parents, Robert and Jean, are both Illinois State alumni and her brother, Zach, is a current Illinois State student. Her aunt, Colleen Lucht--also an ISU alum--is a member of Illinois States environmental health and safety staff.
OGONNA NNAMANI, Stanford, Outside Hitter, former University High School star:
I am beyond excited to get the opportunity to go home and play Illinois State University. It also means so much to me to be able to play in front of my family and friends... I am counting down the days!
NOTES: Nnamanis father, Chika, is assistant vice president for student affairs at Illinois State University, his alma mater. While leading U-High to back-to-back Illinois High School Association Class A Championships in 1999 and 2000, Nnamani was a two-time national prep volleyball player of the year.
Thanks to the athletics media relations offices at Florida State, Stanford and Marshall for their help with this section
2002 Illinois State
Volleyball Schedule
Day Date Opponent Time
Barker GMC Classic at Redbird Arena
Fri. Aug. 30 vs. Florida State 7 p.m.
Sat. Aug. 31 vs. Marshall noon
vs. Alabama 7 p.m.
Wisconsin Classic at Madison, Wis.
Fri. Sept. 6 at #7 Wisconsin 7 p.m.
Sat. Sept. 7 vs. #11 Texas A&M 10 a.m.
vs. Montreal 4:30 p.m.
Wed. Sept. 11 #1 Stanford 7 p.m.
Fri. Sept. 13 Bradley 7 p.m.
Sat. Sept. 14 #16 Northern Iowa 7 p.m.
Fri. Sept. 20 at Evansville 7 p.m.
Sat. Sept. 21 at Southern Illinois 7 p.m.
Fri. Sept. 27 Wichita State 7 p.m.
Sat. Sept. 28 SMS 7 p.m.
Wed. Oct. 2 Northern Illinois 7 p.m.
Sun. Oct. 6 Indiana State 2 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 11 at Drake 7 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 12 at Creighton 7 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 18 Southern Illinois 7 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 19 Evansville 7 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 25 at SMS 7 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 26 at Wichita State 7 p.m.
Tues. Oct. 29 #25 Notre Dame 7 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 1 at Indiana State 6 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 8 Creighton 7 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 9 Drake 7 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 15 at #16 Northern Iowa 7 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 16 at Bradley 5 p.m.
State Farm-Missouri Valley Tournament at Peoria, Ill.
Fri. Nov. 22 Quarter-Finals & Semi-Finals
Sat. Nov. 23 Championship
Conf.erence Challenge at Orlando, Fla.
Fri. Nov. 29 vs. #6 Florida 1 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 30 vs. Georgia 11 a.m.
Missouri Valley Conference matches
