Nov. 23, 2006
2006 State Farm MVC Tournament Bracket in PDF Format
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#5 Illinois State vs. #4 Creighton Match Notes in PDF Format
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NORMAL, Ill. -- One week after completing one of the most successful road trips in program history, fifth-seeded Illinois State will look to extend its season to the NCAA Tournament when they begin play at this weekend's 2006 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Redbird Arena. The `Birds will host No. 4 Creighton in the field's first quarterfinal match Friday at 10 a.m.
The Redbirds are coming off last weekend's sweep of the respective second and third-place teams in the Valley. ISU eliminated Wichita State (Nov. 17) from regular season championship contention with a four-game victory at Charles Koch Arena, and upended Missouri State in a five-game affair on Saturday. It was Illinois State's first road sweep over the Shockers and Bears since the 1999 season, and the first time any Valley foe had accomplished the feat since Northern Iowa's record-setting 2000 campaign.
This is the fifth time the MVC Tournament has been held at Redbird Arena, and a conference-record eighth time the event has taken place in Normal, Ill. Illinois State captured the tournament titles in five of those eight seasons, with their last championship occurring in the 1997 season.
Although the Redbirds enter this year's tournament as the No. 5 seed, head coach Sharon Dingman recognizes that after what her team accomplished last weekend, they could be possibly be the hottest team in the league.
"We have a lot of confidence heading into this weekend, but we have to remember how we got to this point," said Dingman. "We showed a lot of poise last week in going on the road and beating Wichita State and Missouri State. If we just continue to keep everything in perspective, we're going to be fine. Our mindset certainly feels a lot better heading into the tournament now than it would have a month and a half ago."
Creighton swept the Redbirds in the regular season, claiming both meetings via four-game decisions. The Bluejays reached the 20-win milestone (20-9, 12-6 MVC) for the first time in program history this season, while also tying its school-record in conference wins. Their offense runs through two of the most dominant players in the league. Setter Korie Lebeda led the league in assists-per-game (12.80), and junior Kelly Goc ranked in the top-five in the MVC in both hitting percentage (.286) and kills-per-game (3.86). Goc combined for 42 kills in the previous two meetings between Creighton and ISU, and Jessica Houts recorded 27 kills in the Redbirds' loss at the Civic Center on Oct. 28.
Dingman added that for the Redbirds to advance to the semifinals, they must limit Creighton's offensive efficiency.
"Houts and Goc are two players that really hurt us the last couple times we played them," Dingman said. "But despite the outcomes, both of those matches were extremely evenly played. If we can get them (Creighton) out of system a little bit, we will have a great chance to move on. We also need to continue to serve the ball like we did last weekend (10 aces vs. Wichita State). The more we limit them setting Goc and Houts, the better our chances."
The Redbirds are 2-0 all-time against Creighton in the State Farm MVC Tournament. ISU swept the Bluejays at Redbird Arena in the 2000 quarterfinals, and defeated them in a three-game quarterfinal match at Wichita, Kan., in 2004. Creighton is 1-7 all-time in the MVC Tournament.
Illinois State has advanced to at least the semifinal round of the Valley Tournament in five of Dingman's six seasons at Illinois State. She recognizes that the `Birds will have an advantage by playing in front of their home crowd and remaining in their regular home match routine.
"If we are fortunate enough to beat Creighton, we would be forced to win two matches in one day to advance to the finals," Dingman said. "But I'm not concerned about fatigue at all. We're a very well conditioned team, and our players are going to in a familiar situation this weekend. They will be sleeping in their own beds, eating the same pre-game meals, and we will be in the same general routine as they would for a home-match. The only difference is that they aren't in classes right now. I definitely think playing at home gives us an advantage, and we are excited about it."
