NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team returns to action as the Redbirds head to St. Louis to compete in the Marcia E. Hamilton Classic, hosted by Saint Louis, Friday and Saturday.
Illinois State (1-2) will take on host Saint Louis (0-3) at 7 p.m. Friday, before matches with currently undefeated squads from Kennesaw State (2-0) and UC Irvine (3-0), at 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively, on Saturday.
"We anticipate this tournament to be a test of grit. All the teams are scrappy and we pride ourselves in that trademark as well," said Illinois State head coach Leah Johnson. "We will stay focused on our process and remain dialed in to our side of the net."
The Redbirds return to the court after posting a 1-2 record at the Hampton Inn & Suites Waco North Baylor Invitational last weekend in Waco, Texas. The Redbirds won their season opener against UC Santa Barbara on Aug. 25, before falling to then-No. 15 Florida State in a five-set thriller in their early match on Aug. 26. The Redbirds' tournament ended with a loss to host Baylor later that day.
Illinois State's Courtney Pence was recognized for her play at the Baylor Invitational, as she was named the tournament's Best Defender on Sunday and the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Pence tallied 41 digs in the match against Florida State, the third most in a match in Illinois State history. Pence now owns four of Illinois State's top six single-match dig totals.
Several other Redbirds turned in career-best performances in Illinois State's match against Florida State. Jaelyn Keene set a career high with 24 kills, Lexi Wallen set career highs in kills (13) and digs (16), and Lexi Varga matched her career high with 21 digs. Newcomers Stef Jankiewicz (64 assists) and Kendal Meier (12 digs) also turned in strong performances against the nationally-ranked Seminoles.
Illinois State has limited history with this weekend's opponents. The Redbirds have seen Saint Louis most often and faced the Billikens more recently than either of their other opponents. Illinois State is 4-3 all-time against SLU, though the Billikens earned a win at Redbird Arena last season on Aug. 31, 2016. ISU is 2-0 against UC Irvine but hasn't faced the Anteaters since 1982. Illinois State and Kennesaw State have never met previously on the volleyball court.
Links for live stats for all three matches at the Marcia E. Hamilton Classic are available at GoRedbirds.com, and fans can follow @RedbirdVB on Twitter for live updates and more.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
