KEVIN JENISON

GoSycamores.com

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Indiana State volleyball team will kick off the 2011 season this weekend as they host the Quality Inn/ASICS Classic on Friday and Saturday in the ISU Arena. Chicago State, Coppin State, Eastern Illinois, and Miami (Ohio) will join the Sycamores in the two-day tournament.

"We are really excited about getting this season underway," Traci Dahl, Indiana State volleyball coach, said. "The girls have been working hard in practice but are ready to get out on the court and play. We have an outstanding group of young ladies and this season shapes up to be the best in a long time for Indiana State."

All Sycamore fans are encouraged to attend the two-day tournament to cheer on Indiana State as they compete for the tournament title. Entrance to the ISU Arena is on the Fifth Street (east) side of the Arena.

The tournament opens at 9:30 a.m. with Coppin State going up against Miami (Ohio) on Friday. Indiana State kicks off their 2011 campaign at 12:00 p.m. against Chicago State. Eastern Illinois will go up against Miami (Ohio) at 2:30 p.m. following by Chicago State and Coppin State at 5 p.m. The first day wraps up with Indiana State squaring off against interstate rival Eastern Illinois at 7 p.m.

The second day also begins at 9:30 a.m. with Eastern Illinois meeting Chicago State on Saturday. The Sycamores and Miami (Ohio) play at 12:00 p.m. with Eastern Illinois and Coppin State squaring off at 2:30 p.m., Chicago State and Miami (Ohio) at 5 p.m., and Indiana State wrapping up tournament play against Coppin State at 7 p.m.

Awards will be presented immediately following the Indiana State-Coppin State contest.

This year's tournament is in memory of Jessica Barkman who played for the Sycamores  from 1991 to 1994 and was tragically killed in an automobile accident in Texas in November 1997. Members of Barkman's family along with several of her teammates will be on hand for the tournament and will present the trophies at the conclusion of play.

SCOUTING INDIANA STATE - Indiana State will be led by a trio of seniors who were among the first recruiting class of Dahl who is entering her fourth season as the Sycamore head coach. Stacy Qualizza, a 6-foot-1 middle blocker from Crown Point, Ind., was named to the All-MVC Second Team a year ago and set the fifth (.568) and seventh (.548) best single game hitting percentages in school history last year against Evansville and Southern Illinois, respectively.

Shelbi Fouty, a 5-foot-11 setter from Plainfield, Ind., moved into the top 10 of career assists last year and totaled 62 against Drake which is the 10th best single game performance in school history. Kiya James, a 5-foot-3 libero from Indianapolis, Ind., currently ranks fifth on the ISU career digs list and had a game high of 32 against Evansville which is the eighth best single game performance in Sycamore history.

Junior Morgan Dall, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter form Aviston, Ill., returns after a breakout sophomore campaign that saw her lead the Missouri Valley Conference in kills. She finished the 2010 campaign ranked 29th in the nation in kills per set and 40th nationally in points per set.

SCOUTING CHICAGO STATE - The Cougars finished the 2010 season without a win (0-33) but have five players back from last season including four starters in senior captains Alexandra Mason and Mazvita Maziveyi, and sophomores Valeria Desiderio and Anna Morgan. Desiderio led the team in kills (198) and kills per set (1.90) while Maziveyi was second in kills (180) and kills per set (1.55). Mason led the team in blocks with 54 (20 solo and 34 assists) while Morgan is the top setter returning.

SCOUTING COPPIN STATE - The Eagles have four starters returning from a team that finished the 2010 season with a 5-21 record including senior Vanity Massey, juniors Tyler Phillips and Ashley Saunders, and sophomore Christina Epps.  Saunders led the team in kills (240), kills per set (2.70), and digs (226). Epps is the top blocker returning after recording 42 a year ago (four solo and 38 assists) while Massey was third in kills (140) and Phillips led in digs per set (2.56) and second in digs (225).

SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS - The Panthers return three starters and the libero from the 2010 team that finished 15-16 overall including senior senior Chrissie Albers, junior Alison Berens, sophomore Reynae Hutchinson, and senior Brittany Wallace.  Albers was the top setter on the team a year ago with 1,834 assists (10.79 assists per set). Berens, a middle hitter, had 29 service aces and was 211 kills while Hutchinson, an outside hitter, had 237 kills and Wallace, a libero, 1,063 digs.

SCOUTING MIAMI (Ohio)  - The RedHawk return all but one starters from a team that finished the 2010 campaign 12-21. Seniors Amy Raseman, Cassie Farrell, and Colleen Loftus return this season along with juniors Lisa Treadway and Amy Kendall. Raseman posted 293 kills (2.53 kills per set) a year ago while Farrell had 203 kills (1.85 kps) and Loftus 239 kills (2.19 kps). Treadway had 350 digs with Kendall 878 assists.

SERIES NOTES:

CHICAGO STATE COUGARS - Indiana State is a perfect 12-0 against the Cougars where eight of the 12 games have been played in the ISU Arena including last year's 3-0 win.

COPPIN STATE EAGLES - This is the first meeting between the two schools.

EASTERN ILLINOIS PANTHERS - Indiana State has won the last two meetings against the Panthers but still trail the series 13-27. The Sycamores are 6-14 at home against Eastern Illinois including a 3-1 win in 2008 and a 3-0 victory in 2009. The two schools, who have played since 1977, did not play each other in 2010.

MIAMI (OHIO) REDHAWK - This will be the 11th time that the two schools have met since 1978 with the RedHawk holding an 8-2 advantage over the Sycamores. The two schools have not met since a 3-0 Miami (Ohio) win in 1991. ISU's two victories came in 1987 (3-0) and 1989 (3-2).

HEAD COACH TRACI DAHL:

Traci Dahl is in her third year as the Sycamore coach. Dahl is 26-66 as the ISU coach including this year's 11-19 record. The third year coach is looking for her second win against Illinois State (1-4).

FOLLOWING THE SYCAMORES: Live stats and video for this weekend's games can be found at:

www.gosycamores.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=15200&KEY=&ATCLID=205238557&SPID=7258&SPSID=343050