NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team will host its final regular-season matches when it welcomes Indiana State and Evansville to Redbird Arena this weekend. The Redbirds will take on the Sycamores on Friday and the Purple Aces on Saturday. Both matches begin at 7 p.m.
Illinois State will recognize the contributions of its four senior players – Juma Armando, Megan Beutke, Jaelyn Keene and Elianna Lovejoy – following Saturday's game.
"The team has been very focused in preparation for this weekend," said Illinois State head coach Leah Johnson. "We are excited to honor our four amazing seniors and close out the regular season on a high note."
Illinois State (18-11, 11-5 MVC) has a chance to reach the 20-win mark and could potentially improve its Missouri Valley Conference Tournament seed with wins this weekend over Indiana State (9-19, 7-9) and Evansville (10-18, 4-12). Illinois State will host the MVC Tournament next week, Nov. 23-25, at Redbird Arena.
The Redbirds will carry a three-match winning streak into this weekend's match. Illinois State most recently earned a road win at Bradley last Saturday. Setter Stef Jankiewicz was named the MVC Freshman of the Week on Monday after dishing out 57 assists and collecting 15 digs at Bradley.
The Redbirds have the advantage in the all-time series against both of this weekend's opponents. Illinois State is 60-8 in the series with Indiana State, and has won the past seven meetings. The Redbirds are 44-3 all-time against Evansville, and have won 14 matches in a row against the Purple Aces.
Fans can purchase tickets for both matches online at GoRedbirds.com/Tickets, by calling (309) 438-8000, or by visiting the ticket office, located at the north entrance to Redbird Arena. Both matches will also be broadcast live as part of The Valley on ESPN3, and links for live stats, audio and video are available at GoRedbirds.com.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.Â
