NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team will look to continue its strong start in Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend, as it travels to play matches against in-state foes Bradley and Loyola. The Redbirds will play Bradley at 7 p.m., Friday, and Loyola at 6 p.m., Saturday.
The Redbirds (11-5, 5-0 MVC) have started the conference portion of their schedule with five-consecutive wins and currently sit atop the MVC standings with Northern Iowa, which is also 5-0 in league play. ISU has won seven-consecutive matches, dating back to Sept. 12.
Illinois State has ranked as one of the top defensive teams in the Valley this season, leading the league in opponents' hitting percentage (.154), while ranking second in blocks (2.28 per set) and digs (16.35 per set). The Redbirds have been proficient on offense as well, ranking second in the MVC in hitting percentage (.229), less than one-thousandth of a percentage point behind league-leading Indiana State.
In the first RPI rankings of the season released on Monday, Illinois State came in at No. 42.
Bradley (0-16, 0-6 MVC) will be seeking its first win of the season when the Redbirds visit Friday. The Braves came closest to that win at the season-opening DePaul Invitational, when they lost a pair of five-set matches to Hampton and Stony Brook on Aug. 29 and 30, respectively. Bradley has not gone five sets since then and has lost its past four matches in straight sets.
Loyola (6-9, 2-4 MVC) is one of only a handful of teams that has been away from its home court as much as Illinois State has early this season. While the Redbirds have played only three matches at Redbird Arena, the Ramblers have played only two matches Gentile Arena, the site of Saturday's match.
Illinois State holds commanding advantages in the career series against both squads, with a 49-8 edge over Bradley and a 14-2 mark against Loyola.
Both matches, and all Redbird matches this season, can be heard live online at: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/isu/.
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