Sept. 13, 2012
NORMAL, Ill. -The Illinois State (6-4) volleyball team will hit the road this weekend to open its first weekend of Missouri Valley Conference play. The Redbirds will face Evansville Friday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. (CT) and will match-up against Southern Illinois Saturday, Sept. 15 at 3 p.m. (CT).
ISU is coming off of a successful weekend at the Rocket Classic, compiling three-consecutive wins and was the only team to finish the tournament undefeated. LeighAnn Hranka was named the tournament Most Valuable Player, while Ashley Rosch and Kaitlyn Early earned all-tournament honors.
Rosch was named MVC Freshman of the Week after her performance at the tournament leading the Redbirds in kills (33), kills per set (3.30) and points (36.0) at the Rocket Classic. She compiled double-digit kills against Toledo and Memphis, including a double-double performance against the Rockets with 14 kills and 13 digs.
Evansville has an overall record of 3-7 and lost three-straight matches at the Saint Louis Tournament last weekend. The team was led defensively by junior Katie Klages, as she averaged 24.3 digs per match over the weekend and earned all-tournament honors. The Purple Aces finished the 2011 season with an overall record of 14-19 and a 4-14 conference mark. The team returns eight letterwinners and adds four freshmen to the 2012 squad.
Southern Illinois enters the series with 8-1 overall record and is currently tied for first place in the Valley rankings. The Salukis hold the top spot in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, assists, kills, and service aces in the MVC. Senior Alysia Mayes was named MVC Player of the Week and earned Most Valuable Player honors at the Saluki Invitational, after recording 43 kills for an average of 4.78 kills per set and a .512 hitting percentage. SIU finished the 2011 season with 9-18 overall record, including a 3-15 finish in league play. The team returns six starters and eight letterwinners, with the addition of four newcomers.
Redbird volleyball games can be heard live on GoRedbirds.com or WJBC.com.
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