NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State volleyball coach Leah Johnson will return to the court where she starred as a collegiate player when Illinois State makes a trip to league-leading Missouri State on Saturday. The Redbirds will challenge Southern Illinois on Friday at Davies Gym.
Illinois State (13-9, 6-3 MVC) carries a season-best four-match winning streak into this weekend's matches at Southern Illinois (4-15, 3-5) and Missouri State (16-5, 8-0). Both matches begin at 7 p.m.
Saturday's match at Missouri State's Hammons Student Center will mark the first time Johnson coaches against her alma mater on the same court she played from 2000-03.
"We believe both our opponents this weekend are improved and playing even better than they were at our first meeting," Johnson said. "More importantly, we know the work we have put in and believe that we are a team that has grown and is playing at a very high level. We look forward to this competitive road test."
Since the calendar has turned to October, the Redbirds have not lost. Illinois State secured a sweep of Loyola Chicago on Oct. 6, before rallying from a 0-2 deficit to defeat Valparaiso the next day. Illinois State earned a sweep at Indiana State on Oct. 9 and topped Bradley by a 3-1 count on Oct. 13 at Redbird Arena.
Southern Illinois enters Friday's contest on a four-match slide. Illinois State secured a 3-0 win over the Salukis in the first meeting of the teams, on Sept. 23 at Redbird Arena. ISU owns a 73-12 all-time record against Southern Illinois.
Missouri State rides a nine-match winning streak into play this weekend. Dating back to the 2016 season, Missouri State has won 24-straight league matches. The Bears took a hard-fought, five-set win over the Redbirds on Sept. 22 in the first meeting of the teams this season. Missouri State owns a slight edge in the all-time series, with a 52-47 record against the Redbirds.
Both of this weekend's matches will be broadcast live as part of The Valley on ESPN3. Links for live stats and video for the match are available at GoRedbirds.com and fans can follow @RedbirdVB on Twitter for live updates and more.
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