NORMAL, Ill. – For the fourth year in a row, the Illinois State volleyball team is set to compete in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Redbirds, who drew sixth-seeded Purdue in Sunday's selection show, will face off with the Boilermakers on Thursday, December 2 at 6 p.m. central time at Holloway Gymnasium in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Information regarding fan travel and tickets can be found here.
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SCOUTING THE BOILERMAKERS
Purdue's sixth seed is the second-straight year the Boilermakers were selected in the top 10, and marks the second straight year the team set program-bests in NCAA tournament seeding. As a whole, Purdue went 7-4 vs. AVCA top-25 ranked opponents, which included four wins over top-10 opponents and a season sweep against the Big Ten champions, Wisconsin. Purdue is making its seventh consecutive and 23rd overall postseason appearance. Meanwhile, it is head coach Dave Shondell's 16th time to the Big Dance, where he owns a 27-15 record and has guided the team to advance to the second round in each tournament berth.
The Boilermakers finished regular season action with a 23-6 record, including a 15-5 record in conference play to finish in a three-way tie for third in the Big Ten, which is their best conference finish since 2011. Purdue's attack is led by fifth year outside hitter Caitlyn Newton with 421 kills (3.93 kills/set) and Bloomington, Illinois native, Grace Cleveland with 339 kills (3.13 kills/set).
One of the nation's best blocking teams, the Boilermakers rank second in the nation in blocks per set with 2.99 per set, trailing only Big Ten rival Maryland, and ranks third in total blocks with 325.5. Three Boilermakers are averaging more than 1.2 blocks per set with two of the three ranking in the top-25 in the nation in blocks per set. Taylor Trammell ranks 16th in the NCAA with 1.33 blocks per set, while teammate Jael Johnson comes in at 25th with 1.29 blocks per set.
The 'Birds and the Boilermakers are meeting for the first time since 2001.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The 'Birds are no strangers to the Big Dance, making their fourth-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend. Illinois State's fourth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament marks the first time since 1982-1985 that a Redbird team has earned a bid four years in a row. The 'Birds are one of only 21 teams in the nation that have made it to each of the last four NCAA Tournaments. Illinois State is 3-16 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, with trips in the 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2020-21 and 2021 seasons. The Redbirds' last victory at the dance was in 2014, when ISU battled back from an 0-2 deficit against Marquette for its first post-season tournament win since 1996, before falling to Wisconsin in the second round.
CAMPUS CONNECTIONS
Purdue outside hitter Grace Cleveland, a native of Bloomington, Illinois and graduate of Normal Community High School, will face her hometown team, Illinois State, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Cleveland's mother, the former Marla Maupin, was an ISU women's basketball star in the 1980s and is a member of the ISU Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame. Additionally, Redbird junior Courtney Heffren was one of Cleveland's former Illini Elite teammates.
REDBIRD RECORD BOOK
Numerous Redbirds have etched their names into the Redbird Volleyball record book this season. Sophomore Tamara Otene ranks second all-time in Illinois State history for total kills by a Redbird sophomore with 486 and is just nine kills away from setting the sophomore record at 495 kills in a single season. Otene is also tied with Tracy Young for the eighth-most kills in a single match at Redbird Arena after posting 26 against Indiana State earlier this season. Defensively, junior Kaity Weimerskirch ranks 11th on the ISU career digs list with 1,223 digs and has the second-most digs ever by Redbird junior in a single season with 597. Both Illinois State setters have had exceptional seasons with freshman Katelyn Lefler currently sitting sixth all-time for assists by a Redbird freshman and 17th on the career assists list with 730 during her debut season for the 'Birds. Sophomore setter Nora Janka's 635 career assists rank 20th in the Redbird record book, while her 528 this season are the ninth-most in school history by an Illinois State sophomore.
TERRIFIC TAM
The Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year is not only the best player in the Valley, she's also one of the best in the nation, ranking 14th in the NCAA with 486 kills and 18th in the NCAA with 540 total points this season. Of sophomore Tamara Otene's 486 kills, 305 came during a tough MVC schedule, where she set two 2021 conference match-highs for kills. In a five-set match against Indiana State, Otene posted a then-career-high 26 kills and then outperformed herself yet again at Loyola Chicago in a four-set match, notching a now career-best 27 kills. Otene has finished with 10+ kills in 27 of ISU's 32 matches this season, including seven times with 20+ kills in a single match. On 22 different occasions, Otene had a match-high number of kills for the Redbirds this season, most recently in the semifinals round of the MVC Tournament against Indiana State. The Auckland, New Zealand native, has also recorded five double doubles during the 2021 season. Leading the next closest player by 34 kills, Otene ended the regular season with the most total kills in the MVC with 305 in league play, averaging a conference best 4.49 kills/set. She also led the Valley with 340 points during conference action, averaging 5.00 per set, the only player to average five per set. Otene became the eighth Redbird and first since 2014 to earn the title of MVC Player of the Year. In addition to being named the MVC Player of the Year, Otene also earned a spot on the All-MVC First Team and the MVC Championship All-Tournament Team.
CAN YA DIG IT?
MVC Libero of the Year Kaity Weimerskirch leads the Valley and ranks sixth in the nation with a conference-leading 597 total digs this season, averaging 4.79 digs/set. During MVC matches, Weimerskirch averages a conference-leading 4.85 digs per set. The Brooklyn Park, Minnesota native, recorded 334 digs during MVC regular season play to lead the league.Weimerskirch became only the 16th Redbird in school history to reach 1,000 career digs earlier this year after combining for 51 in ISU's two home matches against Loyola Chicago and Valparaiso which was the exact number needed to reach the 1,000-dig mark after entering the weekend with 949 digs. ISU's junior captain was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week for her impressive performance against the Ramblers and Beacons. With 597 digs this season, Weimerskirch ranks seventh all-time in school history for digs in a single season.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE QUEEN
Junior Sarah Kushner has a Missouri Valley Conference leading 19 double-doubles this season, including 11 during regular season league play. Kushner has notched double-digit kills in 22 matches this season, including a 10-game streak with double figures from Sept. 18 through Oct. 18. The outside hitter from Naperville, Illinois has had at least 10 digs on 21 different occasions during the 2021 season. Kushner's most recent double-double came in the Redbirds' MVC Championship victory over Loyola Chicago where Kushner finished with 15 kills and 14 digs in the five set win.
FANTASTIC FRESHMAN
Freshman outside hitter/right side Aliyah Moore became the second-straight Redbird to earn MVC All-Freshman Team honors, joining current teammate Nicole Lund, who was on the 2020-21 MVC All-Freshman Team. Moore currently has 242 kills (2.16 kills/set) in her debut season for the Redbirds. Her 242 kills are tied for the 15th-most all-time by a Redbird freshman. Throughout the 2021 season, Moore finished with double-digits on 12, including a six-game streak with 10 kills or more during conference play. Moore played especially well during Illinois State's MVC Tournament title run, recording a five-set career best of 16 kills on a .483 clip in the win over Loyola Chicago. Over ISU's two matches in the MVC Tournament, the freshman combined for 22 kills and eight blocks.
KP, THE MVP
Sophomore outside hitter Kaitlyn Prondzinski, affectionately nicknamed "KP" earned her first Missouri Valley Conference Most Valuable Player honor in addition to claiming a spot on the MVC Championship All-Tournament Team. Prondzinski combined for 28 kills in ISU's two matches during the MVC Tournament, registering a career-high 20 kills in the Redbirds' five-set MVC Championship win over Loyola Chicago. She also added three block assists on a .255 clip in ISU's comebcak win. In Illinois State's semifinals sweep of Indiana State, Prondzinski finished with eight kills on an impressive .467 hitting percentage, while adding one block. Throughout the course of the 2021 season, Prondzinski has posted a double-figure kill effort on 10 different occasions, including four times in the last six matches.
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