NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team earned an at-large bid to the program's second NCAA Tournament in five seasons, and first under the direction of second-year head coach Leah Johnson on Sunday night. The selection marks the Redbirds' 14th overall appearance to the dance, capitalizing on a 25-7 overall record and share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title to continue its memorable 2018 campaign.
The Redbirds will begin tournament play against Cincinnati on Friday, Nov. 30 at 4:30 p.m. The other portion of the four-team regional in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, features the No. 14 national seed and host Marquette, who will follow at 7 p.m. against High Point. The winners will play on Saturday, Dec. 1 and the champion of the four-team sub-regional advances to the third and fourth rounds Dec. 7-8 at a site to be determined.
About Cincinnati
Cincinnati, out of the American Athletic Conference, ended the season with a 25-7 record and 15-3 in conference play – runner-up to No. 13 National Seed UCF. They are led by four-time AAC Player of the Week Jordan Thompson, a redshirt junior outside hitter who leads the country by averaging 6.28 kills per set and 791 total kills.
About the 'Birds
Illinois State owns four wins against the AVCA's top 100 teams, including one versus a top-25 opponent in UNI. Illinois State secured 16 wins away from home this season, while posting a perfect 9-0 record at Redbird Arena, to match its highest win total since the 2014 slate. The Redbirds boast the MVC Libero of the Year in Courtney Pence and the Setter of the Year in Stef Jankiewicz. Illinois State placed four – Pence, Jankiewicz, Ali Line and Kaylee Martin – on the All-MVC First Team, while Marissa Stockman earned a spot on the league's all-freshman team.
Tournament History
Illinois State is 3-13Â all-time in the NCAA Tournament, with appearances in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007 and 2014. The Redbirds came back from an 0-2 deficit against Marquette in 2014 for their first postseason tournament win since 1996, before falling to then-No. 4 Wisconsin in the second round.
Also representing the Missouri Valley Conference in the NCAA Tournament is UNI, who shared a piece of the Valley's regular season championship with the Redbirds, before fighting off Illinois State's comeback in the championship match on Saturday.
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