Illinois State NCAA Tournament Match Notes in PDF Format 
Nov. 29, 2007
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -
The Illinois State volleyball team (21-11) will look to capture its second win over a nationally-ranked opponent in the past three matches when the Redbirds take on No. 21 Colorado State in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament (University Park, Penn., regional) at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich., Friday beginning at 4:30 p.m. The Redbirds secured an at-large bid to the postseason after advancing to the championship match of last weekend's (Nov. 23-24) State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Springfield, Mo.
The Redbirds dropped a four-game decision to second-seeded Northern Iowa in the Valley finals after defeating No. 4 and host Missouri State and top-seeded and No. 22 Wichita State in the respective quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. In all, ISU enters the NCAA Tournament having won six of its last seven matches. That stretch included winning 17-consecutive games in the middle of a six-match winning streak, dating back to Nov. 3.
"This weekend is going to be a wonderful experience for our players, especially since we start three sophomores, one freshman and two juniors," said head coach Sharon Dingman. "It is also great for Kari (Staehlin) and Kristin (Dziubla) to be able to extend their careers. This experience is exactly what our program needs. If you want to build a perennial winner and get to that next level, players and coaches need to have this experience, and be familiar with what it feels like. After making our run, our players are going to be that more eager to get back here next season."
Colorado State finished the season with a 22-6 overall record and won the Mountain West Conference regular season title for a record sixth time. The Rams faced seven top-50 teams throughout the season. CSU has been to the NCAA Tournament in 13-straight seasons, but are nationally-seeded for the first time since 2004.
"Colorado State is a great team," said Dingman. "They have one of the most talented middles (Mekana Barnes) that I have seen in a very long time. She is hitting over .400 and averaging more than four kills per game. They also have some very talented outside hitters. CSU reminds me a lot of Northern Iowa, so that gives us some comfort in the fact that we played a team with a very similar style three times this season."
Dating back to the 1986 season, Illinois State is 0-3 all-time against Colorado State. The Redbirds dropped a three-game decision to the 14th ranked Rams in the 1986 Stanford Classic, and were swept in Ft. Collins, Colo., just one year later. In the last meeting between the Redbirds and Rams, ISU suffered a three-game sweep at Colorado State in the 1998 season opener.
ISU is making its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance, but its first since the 1998 season. The Redbirds have advanced to the second-round twice, in both the 1992 and 1996 seasons.
