Volleyball Hosts Aces and Sycamores in 2025 Home Finale Weekend

NORMAL, Ill. - After a sweep of the previous week with wins over Bradley and Murray State, the Illinois State volleyball team hosts Evansville and Indiana State in the final home weekend of the 2025 season, and the team will honor its four graduating seniors: Arianna Rossi, Colleen Hege, Hannah Reichensperger, and Aida Shadewald.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

November 7 - 6 p.m. - vs Evansville - STATS | WATCH
November 8 - 5 p.m. - vs Indiana State - STATS | WATCH

.300 IN A ROW

Since 1997, there have been 18 times - including ISU's current streak of two in a row - that the Illinois State Redbird volleyball team has had at least two consecutive matches hitting above .300. The longest streak over the last 28 seasons was in 2003 when the team had four consecutive games hitting above .300, while six times a team has done it in three consecutive contests.
 

FINDING BALANCE

This season as we approach the end of the MVC season, Illinois State sophomore Khenedi Guest ranks inside of the top-25 in attack percentage (ninth), kills per set (21st), and blocks per set (fifth). In all, her rankings in those three categories add to 35. She is one of just nine players in the MVC to rank inside of the top-30 in all three categories, and her aggregate rank between the three categories is the three-best among those eight.
 

LARGE MARGINS

Against Bradley, ISU topped the Braves 25-10, 25-17, 25-17, as the Redbirds gave up just 44 points, which is tied for the eighth-fewest points allowed over the previous eight seasons.
 

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

With her strong weekend against UIC and Valparaiso, Illinois State freshman Ella Craggs has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week. With her back-to-back 40+ assist matches, she became the first freshman since 2017 (Stef Jankiewicz) to have two consecutive MVC contests with 40+ assists. She had the fourth-most total assists of any freshman in the NCAA during the week (eighth-highest assists per set) and had the 24th-highest assist total in the country - highest in the MVC - regardless of class. She also had the 45th-highest assist per set total in the NCAA, and highest in the MVC, regardless of class.
 

SHE'S DIGGING IT

In ISU's match with Bradley on September 27, Illinois State fifth-year libero Arianna Rossi had a match-high 39 digs, which is tied for the fifth-highest total in the country this season.

NEAR THE TOP IN CONFERENCE BLOCKS

This season through the first 25 matches of the season, Illinois State middle blocker Khenedi Guest is the MVC ranks second in the MVC in total blocks, and third in blocks per set.

HIGH SCORING SET

This season the Redbirds have played in 15 sets that have needed more than 25 points to secure a win, and ISU's second-set win against Butler saw a score of 34-32, which is the second-highest scoring set in program history, and is tied for the 14th-highest scoring set in the NCAA this season.
 

BONUS TIME

This season through 23 matches, the Redbirds have played in 15 sets in which the score is above the previously scheduled stopping point. That is tied for the seventh-most in a season.

BIG CROWD FOR OPENING WEEKEND

During ISU's opening weekend closer against Illinois, 2,874 fans were on-hand inside CEFCU Arena for the tournament. That total is among the 10 best crowds to see the Redbirds play at home since 2003.
 

MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

The award is her second career MVC Player of the Week honor, as she had previously earned the award on October 7, 2024. She had 29 total kills over nine sets in the opening weekend, and she is averaging 3.22 kills per set, while hitting at a .278 percentage. She is one of two players in the MVC to be averaging at least 3.0 kills and digs, and the only player to rank inside of the top-15 in kills per set, hitting percentage, aces per set, and digs per set. The Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, native, led the Redbirds in kills during two of her three matches on the week, knocking down a season-high 12 in the opener against 2024 NIVC qualifier DePaul, and 11 more against Oakland in the weekend finale.

CONSECUTIVE SET WINS

By sweeping the opening weekend of the 2025 season, the Redbirds won nine consecutive sets. The Redbirds won the first two sets of their next match against Loyola, running the consecutive set streak to 11, tied for the second-longest season-opening streak in school history.

DOUBLE-DIGIT KILLS

This season the Redbirds have had nine student-athletes (Ruth Ziegler, Khenedi Guest, Caitlyn Little, Logan Grevengoed, Aida Shadewald, Oliwia Caputa, Ne'Khaela Rogers, Abby Reck, and Hannah Reichensperger) record a match with double-digit kills, tied for the most in a season since 2003.
 

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS

In the season-opening Western Michigan Tournament, three Redbirds - Aida Shadewald, Arianna Rossi, and Ruth Ziegler - were named to the All-Tournament Team, with Shadewald earning Most Valuable Player honors. A week later, Logan Grevengoed was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Kwik Star Klassic. In the team's final tournament - the Dayton Flyer Invitational - Caitlyn Little earned All-Tournament Team honors, as five different players earned All-Tournament team honors this season.

PRESEASON POLL

Returning eight student-athletes that started at least nine matches last season, while bringing in the top-rated recruiting class in program history, has the Illinois State volleyball team picked to finish third in the preseason Missouri Valley Coaches Poll. Two Redbirds – Aida Shadewald and Khenedi Guest – were named to the preseason All-MVC squad.
 

ALL-TIME SERIES

Against the two schools on the schedule for ISU this weekend, Illinois State is 54-8 all-time against the Evansville Aces and 73-10 all-time against the Sycamores.