ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State women's basketball team was picked to finish fourth in the 2021-22 Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, announced Tuesday in the annual survey of the league's coaches, sports information directors and media.
Missouri State was selected as the favorite in the MVC women's basketball race, receiving 35 out of 40 first-place votes and 362 total points, out-distancing second-place Drake (316 pts, two first-place votes) with UNI (298 pts, three first-place votes) in third. Illinois State (268 pts) was next at fourth, followed by Bradley (209 pts), Valparaiso (208 pts), Loyola Chicago (193 pts), Southern Illinois (161 pts), Indiana State (102 pts) and rounding out the poll with Evansville (83 pts).
Head coach Kristen Gillespie enters her fifth season (68-47) at the helm of the program, after guiding the Redbirds to their first postseason berth in eight years last season with an appearance at the WNIT in Memphis. The 2020-21 Redbirds (16-9, 12-6 MVC) finished third overall in the nation's top mid-major league (according to NET), ISU's highest finish in Coach Gillespie's tenure and for the program since 2013.
"If you look at where we started a few years ago, we've been taking those steps to get to the next level and I think this team is in a position to continue that progress and take that next step into the top tier of the MVC," said Gillespie. "It's all about the process and our staff has done a fantastic job in setting tangible goals to get us to where we want to be."
Illinois State will look to keep its streak alive, having finished better than their preseason poll position in all four years in the Gillespie era.
The Redbirds return a pair of All-MVC selections in Juliunn Redmond and Mary Crompton. Redmond, using her extra year of eligibility, was named All-MVC First Team after leading the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game while also averaging 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Crompton was voted All-MVC Honorable Mention and as the MVC Most Improved Player, finishing the season ranked third in the country in three-point field goal percentage (46.7%), while averaging 11.1 points per game.
Junior forward DeAnna Wilson who averaged 9.2 points and 6.2 boards a contest also returns after earning a spot on the MVC All-Newcomer Team.
Five newcomers are set to make their debut for the 'Birds during the 2021-22 campaign including grad transfer Jada Stinson and the freshmen class of Lexi Boles, Kenzie Bowers, Lauren Cohen and Chloe Van Zeeland.
Illinois State women's basketball will host an exhibition game versus UMSL on Wednesday, Nov. 3 at Redbird Arena, prior to opening the season on the road at NIU on Tuesday, Nov. 9.
SEASON TICKETS
Purchase your season tickets for the 2021-22 season here. Currently, masks are required for all indoor events. Illinois State will continue to monitor the situation and act in accordance with state and local health mandates.
Children 12 and under can receive free admission to all regular-season home contests with a Reggie's Kids Club membership card.
For all latest on Illinois State women's basketball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @RedbirdWBB (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
