Sept. 12, 2011
NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State volleyball team (7-4) will host Loyola (Chicago) (3-5) in a non-conference matchup Tuesday on Doug Collins Court in Redbird Arena at 7:05 p.m. The Redbirds are coming off a 1-2 finish at the UniWyo Cowgirl Classic in Laramie, Wyo.
The Redbirds fell to Wyoming and Idaho State, but defeated Georgia State in the final match of the classic. The team was led by freshman Emily Schneider with 26 kills and only six errors. Schneider was named to the UniWyo Cowgirl Classic All-Tournament Team after recording a .468 hitting percentage and seven blocks over three matches. She leads the team in aces (11) and blocks (46), and ranks fifth in the Valley with 1.02 blocks per set.
Illinois State's offensive efforts continued with help from sophomore LeighAnn Hranka, who compiled 33 kills and 19 digs, and setters senior Kristin Stauter and freshman Kaitlyn Early. Stauter tallied 69 assists and nine kills, including a season-high .700 hitting percentage against Georgia State. Early recorded a career-high 45 assists and nine digs against Idaho State.
The Redbirds have compiled 105.5 total blocks this season compared to their opponents 71.0. Illinois State ranks third in the Valley in blocking with 2.29 blocks per set. The Redbirds have controlled their opponent's hitting percentage to .157, ranking the team second the Valley in opponent hitting percentage.
Loyola is coming off a 2-1 weekend at the Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa. The Ramblers defeated Oakland and Chicago State, but fell to Iowa. Freshman Mary Kate Styler led the Ramblers with 43 kills, including a career-best 18-kill performance in last Friday's win over Oakland. The team relies heavily on its freshman class, which has accounted for 187 of the team's 311 kills (60.1%) through the first eight matches.
The Ramblers have an overall record of 3-5, after finishing 4-12 in the Horizon League in 2010. Loyola returns three starters with the addition of five newcomers under the direction of first-year head coach Chris Muscat.
This is the 14th meeting between the two teams with Illinois State leading the series, 12-1. ISU defeated Loyola, 3-0, in the last meeting Aug. 31, 2010.
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