NORMAL, Ill. – The No. 2 seeded Illinois State Redbirds (24-6) learned it will take on No. 6 seeded Drake (21-13) in Friday's first Missouri Valley Conference semifinal match, after the Bulldogs upset No. 3 Bradley in five sets on Thursday evening. Â
Scouting the Opponent
Drake took down Bradley in five sets Thursday evening for its first MVC tournament win in 20 years. The Redbirds hold a commanding 62-11 series advantage over Drake, as Illinois State snapped a four-match losing streak against the Bulldogs, with a 3-1 win in Des Moines, Iowa, on Oct. 6. Prior to the Redbirds' victory at the beginning of October, and the four-straight setbacks to the Bulldogs over the last two seasons, Illinois State was on a 12-match win streak against Drake. Illinois State completed the series sweep of Drake with a straight-set win on Nov. 2, tallying its eighth sweep of the conference slate.
High Honors
Earlier today, Stef Jankiewicz, Ali Line, Kaylee Martin and Courtney Pence were all named to the All-MVC First Team, while newcomer Marissa Stockman earned a spot on the league's all-freshman squad. Additionally, Jankiewicz was named the conference's Setter of the Year after being named MVC Freshman of the Year in 2017. Pence also took home a specialty award – the 2018 Libero of the Year honor – becoming just the fourth player in Valley history to earn multiple Libero of the Year accolades.
Postseason Success
The Redbirds are 39-26 overall in MVC tournament play, dating back to the 1982 season. With this mark, Illinois State is just one of three current league member institutions with a winning record in the conference's postseason tournament.
Setting the Standard
Illinois State's No. 2 seed in the Valley tournament is its highest since the 2014 season, when the Redbirds secured the No. 1 overall seed with an 18-0 record during the conference slate that year. Prior to 2014, the last time Illinois State earned at least a No. 2 seed was in 2004.
Within Reach
Pence currently ranks fifth (2,714) all-time in NCAA Division I volleyball history in the career dig category. She needs just 39 digs to jump into fourth all-time, passing Valparaiso's Taylor Root (2009-12). If she does so, she will become the highest-ranking player who played her entire career in the 25-point era.
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