Redbirds Visit Drake, Creighton on Halloween Weekend

Oct. 28, 2010

The Melissa Myers Show Birdcast (CLICK HERE)

REDBIRDS-BULLDOGS SERIES
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Drake, 49-7. In a series that dates back to 1979, Illinois State won the first 22 meetings, with 18 coming in straight-sets. Drake picked up its first win in 1994, won all three matches in 1995 and won again in 1996. Illinois State then won 26-consecutive matches from 1996-2008. Of those 26 wins, 14 were sweeps, 11 were in four sets and only one went the full five sets. Drake snapped the losing streak to the Redbirds with a pair of five-set wins last season. ISU got back on the winning track with a four-set win Oct. 2. ISU has won 20 of 23 road matches against Drake.

REDBIRDS-BLUEJAYS SERIES
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Creighton, 24-12. The series began in 1994, with at least two matches every year since then. ISU dominated the series early on, winning 23 of the first 26 matches. Since 2006, Creighton has won eight of the last nine meetings. The teams split the season series last year, with each winning on its home floor. Creighton won the first meeting of the 2010 season in four sets Oct. 1.

SECOND-HALF SURGE
Illinois State closed out the first half of the Valley season with a sweep of Bradley, but sits tied for seventh place with Southern Illinois with a 3-6 conference record. ISU will look for a surge in the second half of the season, with five of its nine second-half Valley matches at home.

REDBIRDS UPSET LADY BEARS
Illinois State pulled off an upset Oct. 22, sweeping Missouri State. The win snapped a six-match losing streak to the Lady Bears and was ISU’s first win over Missouri State at home since 2004. Illinois State has beaten Missouri State four times in the last 23 meetings.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
Illinois State has shown a big turnaround from last season, having already equaled the win total of all of 2009 (13). Through the first 14 matches of 2009, Illinois State was 4-9 with six straight-set losses. This season, ISU was 11-3 through its first 14 matches with seven straight-set wins. The Redbirds picked up their 10th win in their 13th match this year; a feat that took 23 matches in 2009. ISU won 10 non-conference matches this year, the most since 1992.

LEGGETT DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Last season, senior Mallory Leggett became just the fifth player in school history to amass 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in her career. In her final year as a Redbird, she will look to continue her climb up the career ranks in both categories. Leggett is ranked fourth in career digs (1,321) and seventh in career kills (1,420). If she maintains her career single-season averages, she could climb into the top-three in digs and the top-five in kills.

VISK-ICIENCY
Junior Tabitha Visk has been efficient on offense all season, ranking sixth in the Valley with a .320 hitting percentage. Visk has recorded a hitting percentage above .400 in 10 matches. She had a career-high 21 kills and four errors on 37 attacks for a .459 hitting percentage against Drake. Visk had eight kills against Texas Tech and nine kills against No. 15 Colorado State, committing just one error in each match. She had a 13 kills and one error against Miami University for a career-high .632 hitting percentage.

GETTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
Illinois State achieved something this year that the program hasn’t since Michael Keaton was Batman – start a season 4-0. Illinois State won its first four matches of the season for the first time since 1992 and just the eighth time in school history (1974, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1992, 2010).

REDBIRDS WIN CORVALLIS INVITATIONAL TITLE
Illinois State won the 2010 Corvallis Invitational title to start the season. Senior Mallory Leggett and freshman Shannon McGlaughlin were named to the all-tournament team, combining for 93 of ISU’s 170 kills in the three matches. Leggett was the tournament MVP and McGlaughlin’s performance earned her the first MVC Freshman of the Week Award this season. Both players had double-digit kills in every match and the combined for 17 kills in ISU’s first-set win over Portland.