Dec. 20, 2006
Dec. 20, 2006
While a 17-13 overall record and first-round exit in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament doesn't measure up to some of the best results in the tradition-rich history of Illinois State volleyball, the 2006 campaign was a literal tale of two halves. That tale ended abruptly in the postseason, but also helped create what will be one of the most anticipated seasons in Redbird volleyball history in 2007.
After losing three of the most prolific players in program history, including two All-MVC first-team performers, ISU entered this season with plenty of questions to answer and considerable holes to fill.
There wasn't much time to get adjusted in the early going; as the Redbirds' first nine matches included four contests against 2005 NCAA Tournament teams. Illinois State stumbled to a 0-3 record out of the gate, but answered with three straight wins to even their record and advance to the championship match of the Rice Invitational, where they dropped a five-game decision to the host Owls.
The start to the Valley regular season slate wasn't a typical Redbird effort, either. Illinois State was 1-4 after the first five league matches, including their first-ever loss to conference foe Evansville. But as has been the case with past Sharon Dingman-coached teams, the Redbirds turned the tide, and were one of the Valley's hottest teams down the stretch of the season.
"The turning point of our season was the third game at Northern Iowa (Oct. 14)," said Dingman. "Even in a loss, our team looked different, and they played different ... things started to happen for each player and collectively that helped our team. Then to go to Valparaiso and win a five-gamer helped our team believe that we could do some special things to close out the season."
After a four-game loss to Creighton on Sept. 29, Illinois State rolled off wins in nine of their ensuing 11 matches. With four matches left to play on the MVC regular season slate, the Redbirds had already clinched a .500 or better in league play. But Illinois State had a tall task ahead of them, heading to Wichita State and Missouri State, the respective second and third-place teams in the Valley, in the final weekend of the regular season. ISU had not completed the road sweep over the Shockers and Bears since the 1999 season. In fact, no team in the MVC had accomplished the feat since 2000, when nationally-ranked Northern Iowa completed a record-setting season with a flawless 18-0 league mark.
But the `Birds approached the challenge with an "us against the world" mentality, and it paid off. In front of more than 2,100 hostile fans at Charles Koch Arena, Illinois State upended the host Shockers in four-games behind M.C. Richmond's career-high 23 kills, Erin Lindsey's 60 set assists and a four-game school record 130 digs. The win officially eliminated Wichita State from regular-season MVC championship contention, and clinched an above .500 Valley record, a significant accomplishment considering their 4-5 conference record through nine league matches.
The following night (Nov. 18), ISU completed the memorable weekend by stunning Missouri State on senior day. The Redbirds made a strong statement in game one, capturing a 30-12 win, their largest margin of victory on the season. After grinding out a 30-26 win in game two, Illinois State was in complete control in the best-of-five. But as every great team tends to do, Missouri State made a run, and tied the match at 2-2 with back-to-back 30-26 wins in games three and four, respectively. The Bears had all of the momentum heading into the decisive fifth game, but Illinois State's confidence never wavered. The Redbirds emerged victorious (15-12) in a stanza that featured nine ties and lead changes.
"We were playing so well going into that last weekend," Dingman said. "I was very excited to watch us against the best in the Valley. Our players were so relaxed, which allowed them to play at a very high level. We were energized. We played believing we were going to win. And the bottom line was that we executed."
There was no question that very few teams wanted to draw the fifth-seeded Redbirds in the first-round of the 2006 State Farm MVC Tournament at Redbird Arena over Thanksgiving weekend. Everyone except No. 3 Creighton. In the first quarterfinal match of the tournament, the Bluejays went back to the strategy that produced two wins over ISU in the regular season: a physical front row performance led by Kelly Goc, who combined for 64 kills in the three matches between Creighton and Illinois State.
While the early exit was not what Dingman and her team anticipated, it was a fitting end to what was one of the streakiest seasons in Redbird volleyball history. For the final 19 matches of the season, Illinois State had a combined four freshmen and sophomores in their starting lineup.
The good news for the Redbirds is that all four of those underclassmen, along with soon to be senior middle blocker Kari Staehlin, return next season as all-conference performers. Lindsey and Richmond garnered first-team All-MVC accolades; Staehlin was a second-team performer, and the freshmen duo of Kasey Mollerus and Katie Seyller collected All-Freshmen team recognition at season's end. The Redbirds will quickly turn from being one of the league's youngest and questioned teams to one of the most experienced, talented and polished squads in the improving Missouri Valley Conference.
"Next year doesn't get any easier in the Valley," said Dingman. With all the returning talent in the league, every night means that we have to be prepared to compete at a high level. In order to make a run at a championship, we have to approach each practice and match with the attitude of improving, improving oneself to improve the team, having fun, and maintain a consistent level of execution."
