NASHVILLE, Tenn. and MURRAY, Ky. - The Illinois State volleyball team is off to Belmont and Murray State to face the Bruins and Racers for the first time as Missouri Valley Conference members.
SCHEDULE
-Friday at 6 p.m. CT: at Belmont (5-15, 3-6 in 2022) | WATCH | LIVE STATS
-Saturday at 3 p.m. CT: at Murray State (7-12, 3-6 in 2022) | WATCH | LIVE STATS
SPLIT AGAINST INDIANA STATE, EVANSVILLE
Illinois State freshmen recorded 55 kills in the team's five-set victory against Indiana State on Friday. The Redbirds fell in three competitive sets to Evansville on Saturday with freshmen accounting for 28 of the team's 34 kills.
FRESHMEN, FRESHMEN, FRESHMEN
Illinois State freshmen have been forced to play a bigger role than initially expected for the Redbirds in the 2022 season but have stepped up in recent matches. Redbird freshmen accounted for 47 of the team's 56 kills in Illinois State's match at MVC-leading UNI on 10/8 and 55 of the team's 69 kills vs Indiana State on 10/14. Freshmen have recorded 130 of the team's 159 kills (81.8%) in the last three matches. Freshmen have tallied more kills than non-freshmen in the last seven matches.
EMILY WEBER'S INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCES (AND LEFLER)
Freshman Emily Weber tallied 7 kills, 52 assists, 14 digs, 1 ace, 4 blocks vs Indiana State on 10/14.
Per Calvin Wetzel, Weber is one of just two players in the country to achieve that stat line in the last five seasons. The other player happens to be Redbird Katelyn Lefler, who had 7 kills, 54 assists, 17 digs, 1 ace, 4 blocks vs North Texas on 9/11/2021.
Weber recorded 8 kills, 39 assists, 12 digs, 3 aces, 3 blocks at UNI on 10/8. No MVC player has matched/exceeded this statline since at least 2007 (can also be framed as in the 25-point era - since 2008).
Per Calvin Wetzel, Weber is....
-only freshman this season to have
-----8 kills/39 assists/3 aces
-----8 killls/39 assists/1 BS
-----8 kills/39 assists/12 digs/3 blocks
-one of three players with an 8k/39a/12d/3sa/3blk statline in the country
---Weber is the only one to have a BS of those players
-one of four players in the country with 8 kills/39 assists/3 aces
Per Calvin Wetzel, Katelyn Lefler is the only player in the country to achieve a 6 kill/40 assist/17 dig/5 block stat line (from Illinois State's season-opening victory at Cincinnati on 8/26).
Illinois State is the only team in the country with two different players to have a match with 6 kills/39 assists/12 digs/3 blocks (Weber on 10/8 at UNI, Lefler at Cincinnati on 8/26)
3,257 FANS IN REDBIRD ARENA
Illinois State's 3,257 fans at 9/30's match against Valparaiso is the most in the MVC for home matches since the Redbirds drew 3,850 on 9/13/19 against Illinois. The Redbirds' crowd more than doubled the next closest MVC for home matches (UNI vs GCU - 1,563 on 9/10/22). The 3,257 fans are the most in the state of Illinois this season (next closest: Illinois vs #5 Purdue - 2,648 on 9/30/22) and the most the Redbirds have drawn against a mid-major in 20 years (vs Southern Illinois - 3,597 on 9/29/02).
'BIRDS BEAT NO. 25 ILLINOIS
Illinois State defeated No. 25 Illinois on 9/17 in five sets. The Redbirds have now won back-to-back matches against ranked Illinois teams (9/13/2019). The 'Birds won against the Fighting Illini on a neutral court for the first time since 1980 (lost four-straight).
5TH-SET COMEBACKS
Illinois State has a pair of improbable comeback wins in 2022, defeating Cincinnati (trailed 9-3 in fifth set) and Green Bay (trailed 7-2 in fifth set) in five-set thrillers, despite trailing after three sets.
MILESTONE WATCH 👀
Senior Sarah Kushner became the 17th Redbird to reach 1,000 career digs in 9/2/22's five-set victory over Green Bay. Kushner became the seventh Redbird to reach the 1,000 mark in both kills and digs as she is at 1,042 kills and 1,115 digs entering 10/14/22. Kushner became the 22nd Redbird to reach 1,000 career kills at Indiana State on 9/24/22.
Senior Kaity Weimerskirch passed Mallory Leggett for fifth on the career digs list. Weimerskirch is at 1,589 digs entering 10/7/22. Fourth on the list is not out of reach, but Weimerskirch will be hard-pressed to make the jump as Chris Rehor-Federico finished her Redbird career with 1,806 digs.
Sophomore Katelyn Lefler is on track to become the 16th Redbird to reach 1,000 career assists as she is at 940 assists entering 10/21/22.
Teammate and junior Nora Janka may beat Lefler to the punch, or is at least is on pace become the 17th Redbird to reach 1,000 career assists as she is at 976 assists entering 10/21/22.
NEW HEAD COACH
Allie Matters is in her first season at Illinois State after four seasons at Wright State. Matters is joined by Matt DePauw (previously at Central Michigan) and Hayden Wagner (previously at Cincinnati).
PRESEASON ALL-MVC
Redbird seniors Kaity Weimerskirch and Sarah Kushner (both First Team All-MVC in 2021) were named Preseason All-MVC by the conference's 12 head coaches. ISU's two selections took up a third of the preseason team as only players were selected.
NCAA TOURNAMENT IN 2021
The 'Birds made their fourth-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021.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 will seek to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the fifth-straight season for the first time in program history in 2022.
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