NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team will host a pair of Missouri Valley Conference matches this weekend, including a match that will determine the outright league leader, on Friday and Saturday at Redbird Arena.
Friday's match will feature MVC co-leaders Illinois State (13-5, 7-0 MVC) and Northern Iowa (12-6, 7-0 MVC), with the winner taking sole possession of the top spot in the league standings.
"After being on the road much of the season thus far, we're looking forward to being home three of the next four weekends," said Illinois State head coach Melissa Myers. "We have an exciting matchup on Friday as we play unbeaten Northern Iowa, and Saturday we will play a much-improved Drake squad."
The Redbirds rank among the league's top teams in a number of statistical categories, and lead the Valley in hitting percentage (.236) and opponents' hitting percentage (.149). Senior libero Emily Orrick leads the Valley in digs (5.13 per set) and freshman middle hitter Jaelyn Keene leads the league in blocks (1.10 per set). Both were recognized by the league this week, as Orrick was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week, while Keene earned Freshman of the Week honors.
Northern Iowa enters Friday's match on a win streak of its own, a five-game run, and has won 10 of its past 11 matches overall. The Panthers also have recent history on their side, as they have won 16-consecutive matches over the Redbirds, dating back to Oct. 6, 2007.
Drake comes in a vastly improved team from a year ago, when the Bulldogs won only two matches and none in the MVC. Illinois State owns a 10-match winning streak over Drake, dating back to Oct. 24, 2009.
This weekend's matches also feature exciting promotions. Friday's match against Northern Iowa will be Reggie's Kids Club Night, and players will sign autographs after the match. Saturday's match will be "Paint the Arena Pink" night, in support of breast cancer research and awareness. Fans are encouraged to wear pink on Saturday.
"We hope to see a great crowd for an exciting weekend of volleyball in Redbird Arena," Myers said.
Both of this weekend's matches, and all Redbird matches this season, can be heard live online at: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/isu/.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.Â
