More than 100 players contributed to the 814 wins over the past 31 years which have made Illinois State one of the Top 10 winningest Division I volleyball programs. A significant number of those have played over the past decade, when Redbird Arena has been the home of some of the largest crowds in college volleyball. Now, Redbird head coach Sharon Dingman, the team, staff and fans are inviting all former Redbird volleyball players back for a reunion Sept. 25.
Illinois State volleyball alumni choosing to do so will play an exhibition match at 1:30 p.m. in Redbird Arena. Then, all will share pre-game meal with the current Redbird team. They, and their families, will sit in a special section during that nights Northern Iowa-Illinois State match and be introduced between games two and three of the 7 p.m. match.
Among the guests will be former head coach Linda Herman, whose 1975-82 Redbirds won 267 matches and placed in a pair of national tournaments. Herman hopes plenty of former Redbirds can come back for the reunion.
They were the building blocks of the volleyball program at Illinois State, said Herman, now acting athletics director at Illinois State. We hope the trip back to campus will rekindle good memories. We think it will be great for our current players to meet them and feel closer to the tradition.
Current Redbird coach Sharon Dingman arrived in Normal almost five years ago with a healthy respect for the program and the people who made it one of college volleyballs best over three decades.
Some of these athletes were among the best volleyball players in the nation and all of them played a role in Illinois State becoming only the ninth team in history to record 800 wins, said Dingman. For many of them, this will be their first chance to play in Redbird Arena, so we hope our fans will come out and extend some Redbird hospitality to them.
For more information about participating in the Redbird Volleyball Reunion, call the Redbird Volleyball Office at (309) 438-2567.
