NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team (13-9, 6-4 MVC) will return to Redbird Arena on Friday for the first time in two weeks when it hosts Bradley (10-11, 6-4 MVC). First serve between the Redbirds and the Braves is set for 6 p.m. with live stats and an ESPN3 broadcast available for fans unable to attend.
Promotions
Illinois State Athletics will debut the first-ever light show in Redbird Arena on Friday night, courtesy of CUE Audio and sponsored by State Farm®, during pre-match introductions.
- To participate, fans will simply need to download the free Illinois State Athletics app from their app store prior to heading to the game. The public address announcer will prompt fans to open the app prior to the lights going out for team introductions. CUE's inaudible triggers will take over, pulsing fans' smartphone flashlights and LED screens in sync to the beat of the Redbirds' intro music.
- To download the app and follow along with Redbird volleyball all season, fans can use the following link: https://isu-redbirds.app.link/launch
- Once prompted by the public address announcer, fans should open the app and click the menu tab in the top left corner and select the light show
- Fans can find more information at GoRedbirds.com or on the attached flyer.
Scouting the Opponent
Illinois State holds a 58-10 series advantage over Bradley, dating back to 1983. Despite dropping the last two meetings to the Braves, the Redbirds have taken eight of the last 10, and 17 of the last 20, matches from Bradley. The Braves enter the weekend with an identical record as the Redbirds in conference play, recently sweeping Southern Illinois after falling in five at Missouri State. The last time Bradley won a game at Redbird Arena was during the 2002 season, when the Braves took the match, 3-1.
Moving on Up
Sydney Holt is moving up the career ranks at Illinois State, as the junior currently ranks 22nd in blocks per set (0.80) and 25th in service attempts (515). Over the weekend, Holt averaged 1.75 blocks per set, registering a career-high nine stuffs at Missouri State to lead the Redbirds. Holt's 104 blocks this season rank 21st in all of NCAA Division I, while her single-season blocks per set average of 1.22 is the 24th best in ISU program history.
Honey, We're Home
After playing five of its seven matches on the road during the month of October, Illinois State will return home and host five matches at Redbird Arena in November. The Redbirds are 12-4 during the month of November under the direction of Leah Johnson and have a record of 25-5 (.833) at their home arena in Johnson's three seasons.
Stepping Up
Illinois State's freshmen have been relied on heavily this season and have continued to step up to the occasion. Kaity Weimerskirch has assumed the Redbirds' starting libero role and is averaging 5.07 digs per set during league play. Outside hitter Sarah Kushner has five double-doubles on the season, while Taylor Lynch has taken on a starting role on the right side. The most impressive of them all has been Emmy Ogogor, who hit at a .500 clip against the Salukis Friday night, matching the third-highest single-game average by a Redbird this season.
For updates on Illinois State Volleyball, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdVB) and Instagram (@redbirdvolleyball).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
