Normal, Ill. -- The Illinois State volleyball team will take a seven-match winning streak into the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Friday when it faces Indiana State at 12:30 p.m. in Springfield, Mo.
The Birds (18-13, 11-7) enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed, while Indiana State (14-14, 9-9) will play at the No. 5 spot. The winner faces host Southwest Missouri State in the evening at 7:30 p.m. The tournament wraps up with the championship game on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Illinois State and Indiana State split their two-game series this season, with the Redbirds taking the last contest on Nov.1 30-23, 30-24, 30-21.
The Redbirds enter the tournament with momentum, having won their last seven matches and 13 of their last 16 after a loss to Indiana State on Oct. 4.
Setter Kelli Rikli has been on fire during the seven-match winning streak, picking up 335 set assists, a 13.40 average per game. Her 2,847 career set assists ranks No. 4 in school history, and her 1,498 assists this season ranks No. 3 all time. During the stretch, Rikli has set her team to a .302 hitting percentage, while opponents are hitting just .203.
The strong hitting of Laura Doornbos, Savannah Knowles and Emily Kabbes have led the Birds during the current stretch. In last Fridays win over Northern Iowa, all three picked up 20 kills or more. Doornbos led the way with 23, while Knowles chipped in 22 and Kabbes had 20. Doornbos has 107 kills in the last seven games.
The Birds head to Springfield, Mo. having qualified for their 22nd straight Valley tournament, making every one of them since the tournament began in 1982. They are the only team in the conference to have qualified every year.
