NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State volleyball team is prepped and ready for a pair of tough road matches ahead as they travel to Valparaiso, Indiana and Chicago, Illinois this weekend, November 12-13, to face the Beacons of Valparaiso and Ramblers of Loyola-Chicago. The 'Birds will play Valparaiso on Friday, November 12 and Loyola-Chicago on Saturday, November 13 with both matches set to begin at 6 p.m. central time.
Fans who plan to attend the match at Loyola-Chicago on Saturday, November 13 will be required to present a COVID-19 vaccination card (the actual card, not a photo) at the entrance to Gentile Arena. Individuals who are not fully vaccinated must provide proof of a negative test result from within 72 hours prior to game time. Masks are required at all Loyola volleyball matches at Gentile Arena and in all buildings on Loyola's campuses. This applies to all campus visitors, regardless of vaccination status. Children under 12 years of age will be admitted to Gentile Arena without a vaccine or negative test but are required to wear a mask (three years and younger excluded).
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
vs. Valparaiso | WATCH | LIVE STATS
vs. Loyola-Chicago | WATCH | LIVE STATS
LAST TIME AGAINST VALPARAISO
The Illinois State volleyball team completed the homecoming weekend sweep with a five-set victory (25-19, 29-31, 20-25, 25-17, 15-13) over Valparaiso. The weekend wins over Loyola-Chicago and Valparaiso marked the 'Birds first weekend sweep of the season. On top of the five-set thriller, junior captain Kaity Weimerskirch achieved a major career milestone against the Beacons, joining the 1,000-career dig club with her 26 digs.
LAST TIME AGAINST LOYOLA CHICAGO
The Illinois State volleyball team handed Loyola-Chicago their first Missouri Valley Conference loss of the season, topping the Ramblers in four sets (26-24, 17-25, 25-19, 25-23). The 'Birds have won 12-straight against the Ramblers led by four Redbirds who posted a double-figure kill effort. Tamara Otene led ISU with 12 kills followed by the trio of Sarah Kushner, Aliyah Moore and Kaitlyn Prondzinski who each had 10 kills.
SERIES DOMINANCE
The Redbirds have dominated against both the Beacons and the Ramblers, combining for an all-time record of 38-6 against the two teams. Illinois State is looking for its 12th win over Valparaiso, currently leading the series 11 wins to three, coming off a five-set victory against the Beacons earlier this season. MVC-leading Loyola-Chicago will look for its first win over the Redbirds since October 9, 2015 with ISU winning the last 12 meetings between the two teams, including the 2020-21 MVC Championship title game. The 'Birds own a 27-3 all-time record against the Ramblers and have won the last 12 matches in four sets or less. In the 12-match winning streak over LUC, Illinois State has swept the Ramblers five times.
KILLIN' IT
Illinois State not only ranks at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference in multiple statistical categories, but the Redbirds are also one of the best teams in the nation offensively. The 'Birds have the eighth-most kills in all of the NCAA with 1,403 so far this season. ISU also ranks No. 7 in the NCAA for team assists with 1,299 and No. 22 for total team attacks with 3,715.
REDBIRD BLOCK PARTY
The Redbirds have conference-leading 247.5 blocks this year, ranking 14th in all of the NCAA. The sophomore duo of Nicole Lund and Cassie Jordan lead Illinois State with each averaging right around one block per set this year. Lund has 83 total blocks on the year, including nine block solos and 74 block assists for an average of 1.02 per set. Jordan is not far behind with 72 total blocks this season, including four block solos and 68 block assists for an average of 0.99 per set. During MVC play, the pair ranks third and fourth overall with Lund averaging 1.32 blocks per set and Jordan averaging 1.16 blocks per set in conference matches. Of Lund's 83 blocks this year, 45 have come during conference play, while 59 of Jordan's 72 have come in league action.
OTENE OUTSTANDING
In another dominating weekend, sophomore Tamara Otene combined for 39 kills (4.88 kills/set) in Illinois State's two matches against Evansville and Indiana State. Otene recorded a match-high 13 kills on her second-best hitting percentage of season at .440 in route to the Redbirds' 3-0 win over the Purple Aces.
Against the Sycamores, Otene notched a career-best 26 kills, nearly posting a double-double adding eight digs as well. Otene's 26 kills tie the MVC season record for kills in a single match this year, joining Evansville's Alondra Vazquez (26 vs. Northern Kentucky, 9/11/21) as the only two Valley players with 26 kills in a match during the 2021 season. Otene stands alone at the top during conference play, however, with no other Valley player recording more kills in a single match than her 26 against Indiana State. With 13 kills against Evansville and 26 against Indiana St., Otene has posted 10+ kills in 23 of ISU's 27 matches this season, including six times with 20+ kills in a single match.
In addition to making her mark in the Valley record book, Otene has etched her name into the Illinois State record book, tying for the eighth-most kills in Redbird Arena in school history. She joins Tracy Young in the No. 8 spot, who had 26 kills against Northwestern on Sept. 5, 1989. With a Valley leading 403 kills this season, including 251 in conference play, Otene ranks 19th in the NCAA for total kills during the 2021 season. The Auckland, New Zealand native has dominated conference play, leading the Valley in total kills (251), kills per set (4.40), total points (281) and points per set (4.93).
100 WINS
Illinois State volleyball Head Coach Leah Johnson earned her 100th win as a Redbird in dominating fashion as she led ISU to a three-set victory (25-13, 26-24, 25-10) over Evansville on Friday, November 5. With Johnson's 100th win, the Redbirds extended their then-winning streak to eight-straight matches, including 17-straight set wins and five-straight three-set sweeps. Only two coaches, Sandy Lynn and ISU Hall of Famer Linda Herman have reached 100 wins faster, with Johnson joining ISU Hall of Famer Julie Morgan (also in her fifth season) to reach 100 wins in her 150th match as Redbird coach. Since taking over as ISU's head coach in 2017, Johnson has coached the 'Birds to three 20+ win seasons, three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, two MVC Tournament titles and three MVC regular season titles.
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