NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team will face outside competition for the first time in 2015 as it heads to Coral Gables, Florida, to compete at the Hurricane Invitational, hosted by Miami, beginning Friday.
The Redbirds will open their season against the tournament hosts Friday at 6 p.m. CT. Illinois State will play two more matches Saturday, against Kansas State, at 9:30 a.m. CT, and Florida A&M, at 4:30 p.m. CT.
"We are excited to compete this weekend in Miami," said Illinois State head coach Melissa Myers. "It's a competitive tournament that will be a challenge for this young team."
Illinois State has limited history against its three opponents this weekend, having faced Kansas State just four times, Miami twice and Florida A&M once, with a combined record of 5-2 against the trio.
The Redbirds will be challenged, however, by three teams that excelled in 2014. Miami and Kansas State qualified for the NCAA Tournament – Miami advanced to the second round – while Florida A&M won a divisional title in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Illinois State enjoyed a banner season in 2014 as well, as the Redbirds won Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles before advancing to the NCAA Tournament's second round. The team used a school-record 23-match winning streak to complete an undefeated season in league play, becoming just the third Valley team to post a perfect record against conference competition.
After the Hurricane Invitational, the Redbirds will play at the Harvard Invitational Sept. 4-5 before hosting the Country Financial Redbird Classic Sept. 11-12.
Friday's match versus Miami at the Hurricane Invitational will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Links for live audio and live stats for all three matches can be found at GoRedbirds.com, and fans can receive live updated all weekend via Twitter, by following @RedbirdVB.
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