Oct. 2, 2008
Weekend Match Notes in PDF Format 
NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State volleyball team (9-6, 3-1 MVC) will hit the road for the second time in Missouri Valley Conference play when the Redbirds meet hosts No. 14 Wichita State (Oct. 3) and Missouri State (Oct. 4) this weekend. The Redbirds, Shockers (14-0, 3-0) and Bears (9-6, 1-2) represent three of the Valley's four representatives in the NCAA Tournament last season.
The Redbirds' match against the 14th-ranked Shockers marks ISU's fourth contest against a team ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-25 this season. Illinois State is 3-0 on the road, recording wins over hosts Milwaukee (Aug. 30), Evansville (Sept. 19) and Southern Illinois (Sept. 20). All three of those victories came via three-set sweeps.
"We'll face two great opponents this weekend on the road," said head coach Melissa Myers. "On Friday, we face an undefeated and nationally ranked Wichita State, who has been in the top-25 all season long and has continued to climb each week. And Saturday, we'll take on Missouri State who has competed against some of the top teams in our league in the opening two weekends, and is playing very well at home. We expect to be playing in front of two great crowds at both facilities, and our team is looking forward to the challenge.
"As we continue to learn, when you compete against experienced and talented teams, you need to take full advantage of every opportunity given on the court; the better the opponent, the fewer the opportunities. Both of these teams have NCAA Tournament and postseason experience and success. So, we need to build off of a solid week of practice, and our previous match experiences to continue to take advantage of making good decisions. It should be a great weekend of volleyball."
Illinois State is coming off last weekend's home split against UNI and Bradley. The Redbirds dropped a three-set decision against the Panthers last Friday, before posting a four-set win over the Braves in a Sunday afternoon matinee at Redbird Arena.
Peggy Riessen leads the Redbirds offensively, and ranks second in the Valley, with 3.75 kills per set. Mallory Leggett's 3.11 kills per frame rank eighth in the MVC. Right-side hitter-converted middle blocker Katie Culbertson has continued to provide both an offensive and defensive presence in the front row, averaging a Valley second-best 1.31 blocks per conference set. The Redbirds rank second in the Valley in opponent hitting percentage (.134), and are averaging a league-high 20.23 digs per set in conference play.
Eight of Wichita State's 14-consecutive wins have come via three-set sweeps, but the Shockers have dropped single-sets against Valley foes Missouri State and Creighton this season. In conference play, Wichita State leads the league in hitting percentage (.249), opponent hitting percentage (.086), assists per set (13.55) and kills per set (14.55).
The Shockers are led by preseason All-Valley selection Emily Stockman's 188 kills, while Mary Elizabeth Hooper leads the team in assists at 537 (10.53 per set). Defensively, Wichita State is led by libero Kelly Broussard, who has tallied 263 digs (5.16 dps). Blocking is led by Stockman (26), Lindsey Eckenrode (24), Hooper (24) and Angela Jakubov (22).
Missouri State has 697 kills (12.67 kps) on a .215 hitting percentage, while holding its opponents to a .177 average. The Bears are averaging 11.60 assists and 14.89 digs per set, and has recorded 146.5 blocks. Offensively, the Bears are led in kills by preseason All-MVC honoree Sara Staubach (156), Cara Hackmann (152) and Addie Foley (130).
Illinois State boasts a 29-16 all-time series lead over Wichita State, and has a 37-35 all-time edge against Missouri State.
