Illinois State-Bradley Match Notes in PDF Format
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Nov. 9, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -- The Illinois State volleyball team will look to improve its seeding for the 2006 Missouri Valley Conference tournament when they play one road and one home Valley match this weekend. The Redbirds travel to Peoria, Ill. to face rival Bradley Friday at 7 p.m., and return home to host first-place Northern Iowa, Sunday, in the regular season finale at Redbird Arena (2 p.m.).
Illinois State seniors Manoela DaCunha, Jessie Janik, Lindley McDavid and Kelly Waterstraat will all be honored in the annual Senior Day festivities prior to and following Sunday's match. In a special ceremony, each senior, along with head coach Sharon Dingman, will speak to the Redbird Arena crowd at the completion of the match.
The `Birds (14-11, 8-6 MVC) are coming off last Friday's dominating sweep over Indiana State at Redbird Arena. Illinois State tallied a season-best .331 team hitting percentage in the match, and sophomore right side hitter M.C. Richmond had one of her best all-around career efforts with 14 kills on just 20 swings (.650 hitting percentage). The Redbirds also had a season-low 13 errors in the match.
Head coach Sharon Dingman believes that her team has turned the corner offensively after relying on a fundamentally sound defensive effort in the first half of the season to win matches.
"I thought our offense was great against Indiana State," said Dingman. "To only commit 13 errors is pretty good. Erin (Lindsey) continues to really run the offense at a good clip. She has really matured in the last month, as far as learning to how run and be the centerpiece of what we want to do offensively. Also, Jessie Janik doesn't commit a lot of errors, so that has certainly helped us on the outside."
Illinois State owns a 35-6 all-time advantage over Bradley (7-20, 4-11 MVC). The Redbirds recorded a four-game (30-26, 30-26, 27-30 and 30-17) over the Braves at Redbird Arena on Oct. 12. Lindsey had 53 set assists in the match, helping four of her teammates post double-digit kill efforts.
Northern Iowa leads the all-time series against ISU, 30-18. The Panthers swept the `Birds (30-25, 30-24, and 30-24) in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Oct. 14. UNI's Laura Rowen led a balanced offense attack with 12 kills.
"I love playing in Robertson Field House because of the history and tradition that surrounds that type of facility," Dingman said. "In a rivalry match, you can throw the records out. Our players know Bradley's players so well from going against them year round, and vice versa. It goes beyond just another Valley match, and is a match we are looking forward to.
"As for Northern Iowa, we have had a lot of success against them at home the past couple of years. We certainly think we can continue to do that. The score of our match against them in Cedar Falls wasn't indicative of how we played in that match. We were in the match the entire way, and just didn't execute at the end of each of those three games. If it weren't for some service errors and a couple passing breakdowns, that match could have had a much different outcome. If we are in system, our offense can be every bit as dangerous as Northern Iowa's is. We're looking forward to the match, because it's always a great environment at Redbird Arena when we play the Panthers."
Dingman added that Sunday's match will naturally be an emotional experience as the four seniors will be playing their last regular-season home match at Redbird Arena. ISU will host the Missouri Valley Conference tournament over Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 24-25), however.
"Senior Day is always a special time, and Sunday will be no different," Dingman said. "Our 2006 seniors have had a very unique experience in that they have been asked to do so much in their four years. They have all gone outside their own comfort zones, and really have `walked the walk' when you think about what it takes to be winners and leaders. They have been forced to do everything from come off the bench to play out of position. That will really be the legacy of this group. They have been forced to go above and beyond their own individual calls of duty, and are the true definition of leaders. All four will leave a lasting impression on this program."
Tickets for the 2006 MVC Volleyball banquet (Thurs., Nov. 24) along with single-match and all-session tickets are now available for purchase at the Redbird ticket office. Call (309) 438-8000 or visit goredbirds.com for more information.
