KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, IND. - The Indiana State Sycamores return to the ISU Arena this weekend for two key Missouri Valley Conference matches, hosting 10th ranked Wichita State (22-0 overall and 11-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference) on Friday and then going up against visiting Missouri State (11-8 overall and 7-4 in the MVC) on Saturday. First serve in both matches will be at 7 p.m. (ET).
The Sycamores suffered a pair of Valley road losses last weekend and head coach Traci Dahl was not pleased with the effort.
“These are must win matches for us,” Dahl said. “We control our own destiny but we must be prepared to play for every point of every set of every match. We cannot afford any letdown in our preparation or our execution. The Valley is a very tough conference but there are matches out there that we can win.”
One of the goals for the Sycamores this season has been a spot in the post-season Missouri Valley Conference tournament, something that the Sycamores have not been a part of in four years. That goal became much more difficult with the losses this past weekend but it is still within Indiana State's grasp.
The Sycamores have seven matches left, four at home, and are still in control their own destiny but Indiana State needs to win at least five of the next seven to be in the hunt for the playoffs.
This Week's Opponents
WICHITA STATE SHOCKERS ? FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31 ? 7:00 P.M. (ET) - On Halloween night, the Indiana State Sycamores will host the 10th ranked and undefeated Wichita State Shockers and the Sycamores hope to give more tricks than treats to the visitors.
Indiana State was swept by the Shockers (25-12, 25-15, 25-12) in their first meet in Wichita, Kan., on Oct. 4 but the Sycamores have been playing well on the home court.
The Sycamores could not get their offense going against the Shockers, getting just five kills in each of the first two sets and coming up with eight in the third set. Jodilynn Stoker, Stephanie Volden, Stacy Qualizza and Whitney Fromm had three kills each. Fromm also had 15 set assists.
The Shockers won a pair of home matches last weekend in MVC action, defeating Creighton 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-23) on Friday and then surviving a five-set match with Drake on Saturday (25-14, 25-12, 26-28, 23-25, 15-8).
Wichita State leads the series with Indiana State 30-12 with Wichita State winning the last 11 matches. The last ISU win came in the 2002 season when the Sycamores posted a 3-1 win in the ISU Arena.
MISSOURI STATE BEARS ? SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1 ? 7:00 P.M. (ET) - The Sycamores will be looking to remove a bad taste and a bad memory when they host the Missouri State Bears on Saturday. Indiana State won the first two sets (25-19, 25-13) in Springfield, Mo., on Oct. 3, and nearly had the match won in the third set. That's when the roof caved in on ISU and the Bears rallied to take the third set (28-26) and the next two (25-13, 15-12) to rally for the match win.
Kelli Whitaker had 12 kills, Jodilynn Stoker and Kristen Kerscher 11 each, with Stephanie Volden and Stacy Qualizza picking up 10 each to pace the Sycamore offense. Whitney Fromm had 50 set assists, five kills and 18 digs while Kristy Cox had 36 digs.
Last weekend the Bears split a pair of Missouri Valley matches at home, sweeping Drake (25-12, 25-16, 25-23) but then dropping a five-set match to Creighton (14-25, 16-25, 25-19, 25-23, 12-15).
Missouri State leads the series with the Sycamores 44-1 with the lone ISU victory coming in 1994 when Indiana State won 3-2 in Springfield, Mo. The Bears have won the last 29 straight.
Week In Review
Northern Iowa 3, Indiana State 0 - Indiana State had just 26 kills in the three sets with Kristin Hunt leading the Sycamores with seven kills in 18 attacks. Whitney Fromm had 21 set assists and Kristy Cox picked up 11 digs on the night.
Hunt and Sarah Agnich combined for eight of ISU's nine kills in the first set with Hunt getting six kills and Agnich two. The opening set was tied 10 times and had five lead changes as the Sycamores and Panthers battled back and forth throughout the set. Three straight Sycamore points gave ISU its final lead of the set at 21-20 but the Panthers scored the final five points of the set to take a 25-21 win.
Jodilynn Stoker had four kills with Kelli Whitaker and Stephanie Meier recording two each in the second set which featured seven ties. The last tie came during a four point Sycamore rally that tied the set at 13. Northern Iowa wrestled the momentum back and went on for a 25-19 win.
Agnich had three of Indiana State's six kills in the third set as the Sycamores trailed throughout and could not get their offense going. The Panthers ran away with the set to post a 25-13 set win and a 3-0 match win.
Bradley 3, Indiana State 1 - The Sycamores had the momentum early in the match, taking the first set 25-14 with a 9-1 run late in the set. Jodilynn Stoker and Sarah Agnich had five kills each and Kristin Hunt four.
In the second set, Bradley came up with a 25-18 victory to square the match at 1-all. Stephanie Meier had three of ISU's eight kills in the set. Despite the lack of offense, Indiana State was still up 8-2 early in the set but the Braves rallied with a 10-1 run late in the set to come from behind and take the win 25-18.
Indiana State scored the first two points of the third set but Bradley quickly rallied and took the lead at 3-2, using a 5-0 run to go up 8-2. The Sycamores could not get a rally going despite five kills from Stoker and three from Hunt, dropping the set 25-15.
Bradley never trailed in the fourth set as the Sycamores tried to claw their way back into the match. A kill by Stacy Qualizza brought Indiana State to within four at 14-10 but that would be as close as the Sycamores would get. The Braves dominated the rest of the way to post a 25-17 victory and take the match 3-1.
Stoker finished with 15 kills in 40 attempts with two service aces, five digs and one block assist to lead the Sycamores. Hunt finished with eight kills and Agnich seven.
Junior setter Whitney Fromm had 43 set assists in the match and now has 1,840 for her career at Indiana State. She also had seven digs and two kills against Bradley.
Senior defensive specialist Kristy Cox entered the match Saturday needing just six digs to become the all-time dig leader at Indiana State. She accomplished that feat in the first set with eight digs and finished with 16 for the match, giving her a career total of 1,724. She surpassed Cheryl Berg, who played at Indiana State from 1998-2001 and had 1,713 digs.
PLAYER NOTES
COX BECOMES ISU ALL-TIME DIG LEADER - Sycamore senior defensive specialist Kristy Cox (Muncie, Ind.) became the Indiana State University career leader in digs at Bradley (Oct. 25), recording 16 on the night to run her career total to 1,724. She surpassed Cheryl Berg, who had 1,713 career digs from 1998 to 2001. Cox also moves into fourth on the Missouri Valley Conference Career Digs list, just behind Evansville's Samantha Butler, who had 1,734 from 1998 to 2001.
For the third straight year, Cox has put her name in the top 10 of the season digs list. The senior currently has 428 digs, which moves her into a tie for sixth. Cox had 525 digs in the 2006 season, which is the second best for a single season, and 428 in 2007. Kelly Spisak holds the number one spot with 595 digs during the 2004 season, which is also ninth best in Missouri Valley Conference history.
Cox is a two-time member of the Missouri Valley Conference 30-Dig Club this season with 36 against Missouri State on Oct. 3 and 35 against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 2. The 36 digs is the 18th best in Missouri Valley Conference history and the 35 in 20th best. The senior has been in double digits in digs 22 times this season with 10 matches of 20 or more digs.
She is currently fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference in digs with her 4.49 per set average and fourth in the Valley in overall matches with an average of 4.51 per set. Cox is also ranks 56th in the nation in digs.
The senior has also made a mark in service aces with a career high six against Troy on Sept. 5, the seventh best single match performance in school history. She now has 19 for the season and 62 in her career.
FROMM NOW SEVENTH IN CAREER SET ASSISTS ? Junior setter Whitney Fromm (Snohomish, Wash.) is moving up in the Indiana State career Set Assists list. Fromm has 873 set assists through 24 matches this season and now has 1,840 for her career, putting her seventh on the all-time list. The Sycamore passed Amy Henken for seventh on the list with 55 against Illinois State on Oct. 17. Henken had 1,755 set assists from 1996-1997. Stephanie Gale, who played from 1984 to 1987, is sixth on the all-time list with 2,178.
Fromm has joined the Missouri Valley Conference 60-Assist Club twice this season with a career high 61 against Iona on Sept. 5 and 60 against Western Illinois on Aug. 30. She is also a member of the 50-Assist Club, posting 50+ set assists six times this season. Fromm had 52 against Troy on Sept. 5, 52 again against Bradley Sept. 26, recording 50 at Missouri State Oct. 3, 52 against SIU-Edwardsville on Oct. 7, 50 against Drake on Oct. 10 and 55 against Illinois State on Oct. 17.
Fromm is currently seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference in set assists with her 9.62 per set average and sixth in the Valley in overall games with an 9.49 per set average. The Sycamore junior is also 125th in the nation in set assists.
STOKER LEADING SYCAMORE ATTACK - Junior outside hitter Jodilynn Stoker (Ames, Iowa) leads the Sycamores with 280 kills this season (2.98 per set) and now has 647 for her career at Indiana State. Stoker had 25 kills against Illinois State last Friday which is the fifth best single match performance in school history.
The 25 kills also marked the third time this season that Stoker has had 20 or more kills in a match and was a career high for the junior outside hitter. The effort Friday also marked the third time that she has joined the Missouri Valley 20-Kill Club. Stoker had 20 against Western Illinois on Aug. 30 and 23 against Iona on Sept. 5.
Stoker ranks ninth in kills among Missouri Valley players for all matches with her 2.98 average and 260th in the country with a 2.98 kills per set average.
Stoker was named to the All-Tournament team at the Tiger Invitational with 75 kills in 189 attacks and just 22 attack errors for a .280 hitting percentage in the four matches played.
HUNT HAS CAREER NIGHT AGAINST ILLINOIS STATE - Junior middle blocker Kristin Hunt (Reno, Nev.) had a career night against Illinois State on Oct. 17, recording highs of 20 kills, 34 attacks, four assists and two digs. Also this season, Hunt had a career high .565 hitting percentage against Wright State on Oct. 14 and a career high four blocks against Bradley on Oct. 25.
Hunt joined the Missouri Valley Conference 20-kill club with her 20 kills against Illinois State, becoming the second Sycamore to join that club this season.
QUALIZZA MAKING IMPACT AS FRESHMAN - Freshman middle blocker Stacy Qualizza (Crown Point, Ind.) had a career night against Bradley, recording 15 kills in 36 attempts with a .361 hitting percentage. She had 15 kills for the second time this season against SIU-Edwardsville with a career high .400 hitting percentage. Qualizza is fifth on the team in kills with 103 this season, averaging 1.98 kills per set. She also has 17 blocks this season, an average of 0.31 per set.
JAMES DIGGING UP SUPPORT FOR ISU DEFENSE - Freshman setter Kiya James (Indianapolis, Ind.) has reached double digits five times this season in digs with a season best 13 against Iona on Sept. 5. She had 12 against Northern Iowa on Sept. 27, 10 against Missouri State Oct. 3, 11 against SIU-Edwardsville on Oct. 7, and 10 against Drake on Oct. 10. James also has 21 services aces so far this season, best on the team.
FOUTY JOINES 20 SET ASSIST CLUB - Freshman Shelbi Fouty (Plainfield, Ind.) joined the 20-assist club earlier this season with 20 against Southern Illinois on Sept. 19. Fouty has been in double digits in assists four times this season and is averaging 2.05 set assists per set.
