Nov. 16, 2005
Normal, Ill. -
The numbers tell their own story. Seniors Laura Doornbos, Ashley Grubb and Emily Kabbes have combined for 2,980 kills, 1,805 digs, 287 aces, and 848 blocks in four seasons--and counting--at Illinois State. The trio will play their final home matches Friday and Saturday in Redbird Arena with a lot more on the line for their team.
Redbird assistant coach Rob Beam did the math: those numbers over four seasons translate into 4,115 points scored for their team. Dividing that figure by 30 (the points needed to win a game), Doornbos, Grubb and Kabbes have scored enough points as a group to win 137 games. Although there are plenty of other factors which figure into scoring and winning, Redbird head coach Sharon Dingman has her own measuring stick.
"In all the years I've coached," said Dingman, in her 21st season as a college coach, "I've never seen a group of seniors who had to fight and play so hard every day for a team to keep winning."
And win they have ... 47-25 overall, 48-22 in conference play as a class, Grubb, Kabbes and Doornbos have more than done their partto add to the success and folklore of Redbird volleyball. But the battling is far from over.
If the `Birds win both matches this weekend--7 p.m. Friday vs. Missouri State and 7 p.m. Saturday vs. No. 23 Wichita State--they will earn the No. 2 seed at next week's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. If they don't, they still will finish in the top four of the conference standings.
"From a player's, coach's or fan's standpoint, you just couldn't ask for any more from the final regular-season home weekend," said Dingman. "It says something about our conference that, going into the final weekend, the only position in the conference tournament that has been settled has been Wichita State's No. 1 seed."
The Bears, 20-8 overall, 13-3 in the Valley, are in a battle with Illinois State for that No. 2 seed behind Wichita State, 25-2, 16-0, which is looking for its first undefeated league season. The top two seeds earn a bye into the semi-finals of the six-team tournament. The No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 seeds have to win twice on the first day of the tournament to advance to the championship match.
Missouri State, which beat the `Birds 3-0 Sept. 17 in Springfield, would clinch that No. 2 seed with a win over the Redbirds. The Bears are No. 22 in the nation in kills per game. Wichita State is No. 6 in the nation in hitting percentage, No. 13 in kills per game and No. 22 in blocks per game. The Shockers enter Friday's match at Indiana State with a 23-match winning streak this season and 23 in a row in league play dating back to last season.
"Missouri State and Wichita lead the conference in just about everything that scores points," said Dingman. "This will be a great weekend of volleyball for our conference."
The Redbirds, 17-9 overall and 13-3 in the Valley, are still missing kill and hitting percentage leader Kari Staehlin, who is recovering from mononucleosis. During Staehlin's absence, the Redbirds have improved their dig totals (from 16.5 to 18.4 per game) to try and balance the loss of the 6-foot-2 middle blocker. Grubb has maintained her 4.92 dig-per-game pace and needs just 18 more to join Chris Rehor as the only two players in Redbird history with 500 digs in a season.
Rehor had 520 in 1988 and 501 in 1985. A Valley player has only reached 500 digs 14 times. Rehor and former Evansville star Julie Groves are the only players to have 500 digs in two different seasons.
If the Redbirds don't earn the No. 2 seed, they will play either Creighton or Bradley (depending on this weekend's outcomes) at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 25 at West Gym in Cedar Falls. A win in that match would advance the Redbirds to the 5 p.m. semifinal the same day.
