NORMAL, Ill. - This weekend the Illinois State volleyball team plays host to a trio of high-major opponents, as the Redbirds host Miami (Fla.), Cincinnati, and Illinois over the three days of the event.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Sept. 12 - 5:30 p.m. - vs Miami - WATCH | STATS
Sept. 13Â - 4Â p.m. - vs Cincinnati - WATCH | STATS
Sept. 14Â - 2 p.m. - vs Illinois - WATCH |Â STATS
NCAA BLOCKING
Through six matches this season, and 22 total sets, Illinois State is averaging 3.00 blocks per set, which is the 11th-highest average in the country this season.Â
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HIGH SCORING SET
In the Redbirds' most recent game, a five-set win against Butler, ISU needed 34 points to win the second set. Since the start of the 25-point scoring era, starting in 2008, there has been just one other set score higher for ISU, and that was the season-opening set of the 2011 season in which ISU needed 35 points to win at Utah State.
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.
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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.
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.
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ALL-TIME SERIES
Illinois State has previously played each of the other three schools from the Linda Herman Classic, with a winning record against one, a tied series against another, and a losing record against the third. Against Miami, the Redbirds are 1-2, with their lone win coming during the 2012 Redbird Classic. ISU is 15-6 all-time against the Bearcats, and are riding a two-match win streak, including a four-set win in Cincinnati during the 2022 season. The all-time series against the Illini is knotted at 32 wins apiece, with the Redbirds' last win coming on September 17, 2022 in Milwaukee.
