EVANSVILLE AND TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Illinois State volleyball team opens Missouri Valley Conference play with a critical match as the Redbirds play at MVC preseason poll runner-up Evansville on Friday before heading to Indiana State for a Saturday match.
SCHEDULE
-Friday at 6L00 p.m. CT: at Evansville (3-11 in 2022, 21-12 in 2021) | WATCH | LIVE STATS
-Saturday at 4:00 p.m. CT: at Indiana State (7-1 in 2022, 26-6 in 2021) | WATCH | LIVE STATS
'BIRDS BEAT NO. 25 ILLINOIS
Illinois State defeated No. 25 Illinois on Saturday 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 already 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 also 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 is also on pace to become the seventh Redbird to reach the 1,000 mark in both kills and digs as she is at 981 kills and 1,063 digs entering 9/23/22. Kushner would also be the 22nd Redbird to reach 1,000 career kills.
Senior Kaity Weimerskirch is just four digs from passing Mallory Leggett for fifth on the career digs list. Weimerskirch is at 1,419 digs entering 9/23/22 while Leggett ended with 1,422. 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 17th Redbird to reach 1,000 career assists as she is at 940 assists entering 9/17/22.
Teammate and junior Nora Janka may beat Lefler to the punch, or will at least could become the 18th Redbird to reach 1,000 career assists as she is at 861 assists entering 9/17/22.
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.
PRESEASON FAVORITES
High expectations await the 2022 Illinois State team as the Redbirds were picked by the MVC's 12 head coaches to win the conference. The 'Birds received five first-place votes.
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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