Oct. 13, 2006
Northern Iowa Match Notes in PDF Format
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NORMAL, Ill. -- Fresh off a win over rival Bradley, Illinois State's volleyball team will look to extend its current three-match Missouri Valley Conference winning streak against host Northern Iowa at West Gym Saturday at 7 p.m.
After starting out 1-4 in league play, the `Birds (9-9, 4-4 Valley) have now won five out of their last six matches, including consecutive victories over league foes Drake, Indiana State and the Braves.
ISU head coach Sharon Dingman has been pleased with the improvements the `Birds have made in recent matches, especially defensively.
"We've been taking advantage of our offensive opportunities recently, and our defense has been great," said Dingman. "It is going to be tough for teams to kill the ball on us for the rest of the season. Our players have the confidence that someone is going to get to every ball on the defensive side."
Northern Iowa (14-6, 6-1 MVC) was the preseason favorite to capture the Valley championship, and is currently tied for first-place in the league standings. The Panthers' strength is in the front row, where they lead the league and rank ninth in the nation in blocks (3.39 bpg). UNI also boasts five players that are averaging more than two kills-per-game.
"Northern (Iowa) is a great team," said Dingman. "They are loaded with talent at every position, and they just keep coming at you. So it will be a great challenge for us. We are going to be playing against a great team on their home floor. I love competing in Cedar Falls, and our players love playing at West Gym, because it is a great volleyball environment."
The Thursday-Saturday schedule that the Redbirds find themselves competing in this weekend is rare in Valley play. In most cases, teams will play back-to-back matches in a Friday-Saturday scheduling format.
"It's interesting to play at home on a Thursday, and turnaround for a road match on a Saturday," said Dingman. "I'm actually excited about it. None of us, including myself, have experienced this type of scheduling. So I think it will be interesting to see what we all feel about it after the weekend is over."
The Redbirds will take a break from Valley action on Tuesday (Oct. 17), when they travel to Valparaiso for a 7 p.m. match. Illinois State hosts Southern Illinois (Oct. 20) and Evansville (Oct. 22) next weekend at Redbird Arena.
