A four-match losing streak to finish September cant dampen the spirits of Illinois State University volleyball coach Sharon Dingman or her team. And, although Dingman has been the Redbird coach for just four seasons, she knows enough Illinois State volleyball history to recognize that October is traditionally a good month for the Birds. All that has Dingman optimistic about her teams chances in Saturdays 7 p.m. match at Indiana State.
The Redbirds, 5-9 overall, 0-4 in the Missouri Valley, are headed for Terre Haute with their heads up following a week of hard work and improvement, according to Dingman.
The players want to come in every day to practice to improve, said Dingman. They are wanting to work and get better. They are spending time watching film. They are working hard in practice.
And Dingman, in her 13th season as a head coach, said the people closest to the team still have plenty of confidence in the team.
The 13 players, the coaching staff, the trainer and the manager all believe in this team and, right now, they are the people who count most, said Dingman. We have a lot of volleyball left, and, looking at the calendar, its great to see that its October.
Since 1975, no Redbird team has ever had a losing record in October, with an aggregate record of 289-100 in the 10th month. Last year, ISU started October with a six-match winning streak. Dingmans first three teams all were 6-3 in October.
The Redbirds meet the Sycamores, 6-7, 1-3 in the Valley under new head coach, former Creighton assistant Julie Krofcheck. The Sycamores have solid offensive weapons in Kylee Osbourne (4.22 kills per game), Sarah Smith (.316 hitting percentage) and Brittanie Stowell (.312). Indiana States lone league win was a five-game decision at Bradley.
The Redbird offense continues to revolve around junior setter Kelly Rikli, whose 12.02 set assists per game rank No. 2 in the conference, plus sophomores Laura Doornbos (fifth in the league in kills with 4.17) and Emily Kabbes (sixth in the league in hitting percentage at .336). But freshman outside hitter Savannah Knowles and senior middle Staci Boyce both had strong performances last weekend for Illinois State. Paige Whites 2.57 digs per game lead the Redbird defense.
A mitigating circumstance for the Redbird record is that the team has won just five of 17 games decided by two points this season. Dingman was encouraged by Illinois States performances in 37-35 and 33-31 losses to Wichita State because her team was in position to take good swings at crucial times in both games.
You want to be in position to take a good swing for a kill to help decide those games, said Dingman. Against Wichita State, we were right there. Earlier in the year, we were in those positions, but werent getting a good swing. Things like service errors and our passing kept us from getting the good swing.
And the next step after getting the good swing is putting the ball away for the winning points.
If you want to be a hero, you have to take hero shots, said Dingman. Michael Jordan missed the game-winning shot 26 times in his career. But, if you want to be a hero, you still have to take hero shots.
After the Indiana State match, the Birds take a break from league play at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Redbird Arena to meet DePaul, 7-8 after a five-game, 2-hour, 31-minute marathon win Tuesday over Wisconsin-Green Bay.
