NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team returned to the road for the second-straight week to compete in the ORU Invitational in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Redbirds are set to take on Little Rock, the tournament host Golden Eagles and Air Force during the two-day event.
About the Field
For the first time in ISU program history, the Redbirds will face Little Rock on Friday at 10 a.m. and Air Force at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. It will be just the fourth meeting between Illinois State and Oral Roberts on Friday at 7:30 p.m., and the first match-up since the 2009 season. The Golden Eagles hold a slim 2-1 series advantage over the Redbirds.
Taking the Title
Illinois State won its third tournament title in the Leah Johnson era this weekend, opening the 2019 campaign with a North Texas Invitational title. For the second-straight year, the Redbirds started with back-to-back wins to begin the season, topping North Texas and Tulsa to remain unbeaten against the pair of programs.
Freshman Phenom
In her first outing as a Redbird, freshman Sarah Kushner looked nothing like a rookie as she registered a weekend- and team-best 16 kills in ISU's season-opening win over North Texas. Additionally, the outside hitter added 14 digs versus the Mean Green, registering the Redbirds' lone double-double of the weekend.
Unbreakable Block
The Redbirds' defense at the net was unstoppable this weekend, as ISU tabulated 25.0 blocks as a team – the most during opening weekend since 2014 when the squad generated 31.0 total team blocks. Junior Sydney Holt led the charge, turning in three solo blocks and 14 block assists to average 1.42 blocks per set on the weekend.
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