NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team won its 11th Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Title on Saturday with a straight-set win over top-seeded UNI to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
ABOUT THE OPENING ROUND
The Redbirds will be making its 15th NCAA Tournament appearance on Friday, when it takes on the No. 4 national seed Wisconsin in the opening round. First serve between the Redbirds and the Badgers is set for 7 p.m. CT at UW Field House and the match will be made available for viewing via BTN+.
The other portion of the four-team sub-regional in Madison, Wisconsin, features UCLA and Notre Dame, who will play prior to Illinois State and Wisconsin. The winners will play on Saturday, Dec. 7 and the champion will advance to the regional semifinals with a chance to advance to the Division I Women's Volleyball Championship final site in Pittsburgh.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the first and second rounds at Wisconsin can be purchased through the ISU Athletics Ticket Office, both online and over the phone (309-438-8000). Due to the tight turnaround, tickets must be picked up at the Illinois State Will Call located between Gate A & B on the east side of UW Field House. All-session tickets are available through the Wisconsin Athletic Ticket Office.
BACK-TO-BACK
For the first time since the 1997-98 seasons, the Illinois State volleyball team will be making its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019, after earning the program's fourth at-large bid in 2018.
TOURNEY TIME
Illinois State is 3-14 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, with trips in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2014 and 2018. In 2018, the Redbirds were swept by Cincinnati in the opening round at then-No. 14 national seed Marquette. Illinois State's most recent win at the big dance was in 2014, when the Redbirds battled back from an 0-2 deficit in an opening-round match against Marquette to win 3-2, before falling to Wisconsin in straight sets in the second round at UW Field House.
IMPACT PERFORMERS
Setter Stef Jankiewicz was named the MVC Volleyball Championship's Most Valuable Player, while outside hitters Kaylee Martin and Sarah Kushner each earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team. The Redbirds boast a trio of all-conference performers in Jankiewicz and Martin, who are repeat First Team All-MVC selections, and Sydney Holt.
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