NORMAL, Ill. – This weekend, the Illinois State volleyball team (18-5, 10-1 MVC) will hit the road for the first time since Oct. 6, when it travels to neighboring Indiana to face Indiana State (8-15, 1-10 MVC) and Evansville (8-16, 2-9 MVC).
The Redbirds are set for a 6 p.m. CT first serve against the Sycamores on Friday night, before taking on the Purple Aces at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday.
Scouting the Opponents
Illinois State holds a commanding 62-8 series advantage over Indiana State, winning the last nine matches against the Sycamores. All eight of the Redbirds' losses have come on the road, with the last occurring during the 2013 season. Illinois State holds a similar edge over Evansville, winning 46 of 49 contests against the Purple Aces. Similarly to their series with the Sycamores, the Redbirds have only lost on the road to the Purple Aces, with the last setback happening in 2010.
History in the Making
All-American libero Courtney Pence is on track to break the MVC career digs record during the 2018 regular season. The senior currently has 2,556 digs on her resume, and will need just 101 to break UNI's Ellie Blankenship's mark in the Valley record book, which was set in 2007-10. Pence collected 81 digs in three matches this week to average 8.10 digs per set, improving her season digs per set average to 5.99 - the fifth-best mark in the NCAA. She was also named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 22 for her performance, making it the second-straight week, third time this season and Valley-record 13th time in her career that the senior earned the weekly recognition.
Sweeping with Sweeps
For the first time since the 2014 season, Illinois State swept its two-match series against Southern Illinois and Missouri State. In all four matches, the Redbirds won in straight sets, making it the first time since the 2008 season that Illinois State has done so against the Salukis. It also marked the first time since 1997 that Illinois State has swept its meetings with the Bears in the regular season with 3-0 victories in both matches.
Protect the Nest
The Redbirds finished a five-match home stand this past weekend – the longest of its kind in at least a decade – with a pair of wins over Southern Illinois and Missouri State. Illinois State is currently riding a six-match win streak and improved to 7-0 at Redbird Arena to remain undefeated at home with two matches left to play at its home facility in 2018. The only season that the Redbirds went unbeaten at home in program history was in 2014 (10-0). The Redbirds are historically known for playing well at their home facility, as Illinois State has posted a winning record in Normal in seven of the last eight seasons.
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