NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team (13-5, 5-1 MVC) begins its longest home stand in a decade this weekend, when Valparaiso (18-3, 5-1 MVC) and Loyola Chicago (11-7, 3-3 MVC) visit Redbird Arena during Homecoming weekend. Additionally, I-74 rival and conference foe Bradley (14-4, 4-2 MVC) will make the trip to Normal on Monday evening. Â
Scouting the Opponents
Illinois State leads all three series over its opponents this week, including an impressive 57-8 series edge over the Braves. Prior to Valparaiso joining the Missouri Valley Conference, the Redbirds and Crusaders had only met four previous times. Valparaiso joined the league ahead of the 2017 season, as Illinois State won all three meetings last year, including the opening round of the MVC Tournament. The Redbirds have taken the last five contests over Loyola Chicago, including a trio of sweeps in the last three outings against the Ramblers. Illinois State enters Monday's match against Bradley on a 14-match win streak, as the Redbirds have posted an impressive 24-1 record against the Braves since 2005.
Weekend Promotions
- Friday, Oct. 12 >> Friday's match against the Crusaders will feature free admission for all fans, as well as an ISU-branded laundry hamper giveaway to the first 100 Reggie's Kids Club members. The concession stand will also be running a $5 deal that includes a small popcorn and small soda. Hoopfest, the tip-off to the upcoming men's and women's basketball seasons, is set to begin after the conclusion of the match.
- Saturday, Oct. 13 >> Fans are encouraged to wear purple to Saturday's contest against Loyola Chicago as part of Stand Up With Me month, which promotes domestic violence awareness. The Redbirds will be wearing purple accessories, and Mid Central Community Action (MCCA) will be on-site with educational material about its cause. Additionally, fans who present their football ticket from the Redbirds' Homecoming game against Southern Illinois at the Redbird Arena box office beginning at 6:30 p.m., will receive complimentary admission. Tickets must be from the Oct. 13 contest against the Salukis and swapped out for a ticket at the box office for the promotion to be valid.
- Monday, Oct. 15 >> All fans in attendance to Illinois State's Monday night match-up against I-74 rival Bradley will have the opportunity to play volleyball bingo throughout the match.
Soaring Sophomore
After registering three kills against the Panthers in Friday's loss to UNI, Kaylee Martin soared to the top of the stat sheet against Drake in Illinois State's rebound victory Saturday. The sophomore transfer notched a career- high, and 2018 Illinois State individual match-high, of 20 kills against the Bulldogs on an individual match-high of 50 total attempts. She finished the weekend with a team-best average of 3.29 kills per set, hitting at a .219 clip, including a team-high and match-high .260 against Drake.
Courtney's Candidacy
Senior standout Courtney Pence is one of 30 NCAA Division I volleyball student-athletes selected as a candidate for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award, the organization announced on Oct. 1. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Pence's selection marks the third time in four seasons that a Redbird volleyball player has been named a candidate, joining alums Ashley Rosch (2012-15) and Jaelyn Keene (2014-17).
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