NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State volleyball team, with fourth-year head coach Leah Johnson at the helm, will look to continue the program's tradition of success on the court and in the classroom during the 2020-21 academic year.
The Redbirds are coming off their 10th-consecutive winning season and fourth 20-win season in five years. For the third-straight year, Johnson helped guide the Redbirds to a post-season tournament in 2019, as ISU made its second-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament after winning its 11th Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Title. The Redbirds posted an overall record of 22-12 with a 12-6 conference mark and became the first No. 3 seed to ever win the MVC volleyball crown during the six-team format (0-10 previously) with its straight-set win over the UNI Panthers in the championship match.
Illinois State welcomes back a solid core of senior leadership in Sydney Holt, Stef Jankiewicz, Alyssa Kronberg, Kaylee Martin and Kendal Meier. With the loss of just two key players from the 2019 squad, the Redbirds welcome seven newcomers to the roster for this season.
The Redbirds will look to continue their strength in the back row with the addition of Jessica D'Ambrose to the libero group. Sarah Jacobsen, Tamara Otene and Kaitlyn Prondzinski will add depth to Illinois State's outside hitter position, while middle blockers Cassie Jordan and junior college transfer Leigha Malecha will be relied on heavily right away. Setter Nora Janka rounds out the 2020 recruiting class for the Redbirds, which was recognized in the Honorable Mention category of the annual recruiting class rankings published by PrepVolleyball.com in May.
Johnson's leadership on the sidelines continued to help ISU rank among the best nationally in 2019, as the Redbirds finished fifth in team kills (1,809), sixth in team assists (1,705) and seventh in team digs (2,192) in all of NCAA Division I. The Redbirds ranked among the best in the MVC, sitting in the top three in the league in all major statistical categories.
Illinois State will open its 2021 spring campaign this weekend, when it travels to Marquette for a pair of matches. Radio and video streaming coverage information will be made available at a later date. In accordance with state and local guidelines, fans are currently not allowed to be in attendance at home ISU Athletics events. Game dates, opponents, times and locations are subject to change.
To view Illinois State's schedule page, visit GoRedbirds.com.
