"What we have to do this weekend is battle for each and every point," Traci Dahl, Indiana State volleyball coach, said. "We have played well in both venues the past few years and we are coming off a tournament where we had to battle back each game. I believe overcoming that adversity has prepared us for this road trip and I expect two very close games this weekend."

Indiana State will battle the Wichita State Shockers (5-4) in Wichita, Kan., at 8 p.m. (ET) Friday before travelling to Springfield, Mo., to meet the Missouri State Bears (7-3) at 8 p.m. (ET) Saturday. The Sycamores will also play at Chicago State (1-11) at 7 p.m. (ET) Tuesday to conclude the road trip.

Indiana State improved to 7-3 on the season with victories over New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Fairfield at the Holly Young Invitational last weekend at the University of New Hampshire. Junior Morgan Dall was named the tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by seniors Kiya James and Stacy Qualizza. James was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week for her effort.

"I am so proud of how the team played all weekend," Traci Dahl, Indiana State volleyball coach, said. "We learned how to fight and we didn't back down. We did some really good things that will carry over into conference."

Indiana State won the Akron Invitational last year with a 2-1 record but the 3-0 mark at the Holly Young Invitational is the first title with a perfect record since the 2004 team won the Central Michigan Invitational.

The Sycamores are off to the third best start in school history with their 7-3 record through the first 10 games of the 2011 season. The mark equals that posted by the 1986 team and is the best since the 1989 team started the year 8-2. The Indiana State 1982 team holds the school record with a 9-1 start.

Indiana State leads the Valley in hitting percentage and hitting percentage allowed but will have to continue that effort into two hostile environments this weekend. The Sycamores lead the Valley with a .263 hitting percentage with Missouri State second at .252 and Wichita State fifth at .222. Indiana State is holding their opponents to a .118 hitting percentage compared to .182 for Missouri State (sixth) and .233 for Wichita State (10th).

Dall Seventh Nationally In Two Categories

Junior outside hitter Morgan Dall is one of the top hitters in the nation and is ranked seventh nationally with 4.91 kills per set which also leads the Missouri Valley Conference. The Sycamore junior also ranks seventh nationally in points per set at 5.6 and 73rd in aces per set at 1.76. Dall is in a three-way tie for the lead in service aces per set (0.44) among Valley athletes.

Dall finished her sophomore campaign with a 4.11 kills per set average (30th nationally) and 4.49 points per set (41st nationally).

Qualizza 10th Nationally In Hitting Percentage

Senior middle blocker Stacey Qualizza is also making her mark on the national scene as she ranks 10th nationally in hitting percentage at .429 which also leads the Missouri Valley Conference. The senior has a career hitting percentage of .279 which is the third best all-time in ISU history. She finished the 2010 season with a .289 hitting percentage (sixth best single season in ISU history).

James Digging It Up For Sycamores

Senior libero Kiya James currently ranks 36th nationally in digs per set at 5.15 which also ranks her second in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Sycamores Ranked Nationally In Several Categories

The Sycamore team is ranked 19th nationally in aces per set (1.76), 32nd in hitting percentage (.263), 87th in kills per set (13.12), and 91st in digs per set (15.38).

SCOUTING INDIANA STATE -

The Indiana State Sycamores (7-3) are on a three-game winning streak after bring home the championship trophy from the Holly Young Invitational hosted by the University of New Hampshire last weekend with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-19) win over New Hampshire, a 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-18) win over Connecticut, and a 3-1 (21=25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-23) victory over Fairfield.

Four Sycamores are averaging over two kills per set led by junior outside hitter Morgan Dall at 4.91. Senior middle blocker Stacy Qualizza is averaging 2.65 kills per set while sophomore outside hitter Monique Morris is at 2.09 kills per set, and junior right side Shea Doran at 2.07 kills per set.

Senior Shelbi Fouty and sophomore Loni Mackinson shared setter duties for ISU last weekend with Fouty averaging 8.85 assists per set for the season and Mackinson 1.91 assists per set. Senior Kiya James continues to lead the defense with 5.12 digs per set while Qualizza leads in blocks with 0.59 per set.

SCOUTING WICHITA STATE -

The Shockers of Wichita State (5-4) split action this past weekend as they defeated #14 Colorado State 3-1 (28-26, 19-25, 25-20, 25-22) but then lost to Northern Colorado 1-3 (22-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-27) at the Rams Volleyball Classic in Fort Collins, Colo. Wichita State opened their home season on Wednesday by defeating #22 Oklahoma 3-2 (25-27, 23-25, 25-18, 29-27, 15-13).

Senior outside hitter Camri Zwiesler leads the team with 3.17 kills per set while junior outside hitter Emily Adney averages 2.92 kills per set and led the team to their win over Oklahoma with 22 kills. Senior setter Mary Elizabeth Hooper is averaging 9.14 assists per set while senior libero Sarah Waldorf averages 4.94 digs per set. Sophomore middle blocker Elizabeth Field leads the team in blocks at 0.97 per set.

SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE -

The Bears of Missouri State (7-3) lost their opening game of the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational at Missouri State last weekend but came back to win their final three games as they lost to Kansas State 2-3 (17-25, 25-20, 27-25, 19-25, 12-15), defeated Arkansas State 3-1 (26-28, 25-23, 25-21, 25-22), won over Hofstra 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-19), and downed South Dakota State 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-15). The Bears host Illinois State on Friday before hosting Indiana State on Saturday.

Three Missouri State players average over two kills per set including junior outside hitter Karen Rivatto at 3.38 kills per set, sophomore outside hitter Christine McCartney at 3.03 per set, and senior middle blocker Calli Norman at 2.54 per set. Sophomore setter Carly Thomas is averaging 11.40 assists per set and sophomore defensive specialist Ashley Mason averages 4.49 digs per set. Norman leads the team in blocks with an average of 1.09 per set.

SCOUTING CHICAGO STATE -

The Chicago State Cougars (1-11) snapped a three-year, 94-match losing streak on Aug. 30 with a 3-0 (32-30, 25-19, 25-15) win over Judson but have since lost seven straight including an 0-3 setback at Western Illinois on Tuesday. The Cougars play at Illinois-Chicago on Monday before hosting Indiana State next Tuesday.

A trio of Chicago State players lead the offense including junior middle blocker Sydney Van Munster at 2.15 kills per set along with senior middle blocker Alexandra Mason and junior outside hitter Rachel Levitt who both average 2.00 kills per set. Freshman setter Angelica Brewer averages 4.59 assists per set while sophomore defensive specialist Mysta Townsell averages 4.18 digs per set. Mason also leads the team in blocks with an average of 0.79 per set.

SERIES NOTES:

VS. WICHITA STATE - This is the 48th meeting between Indiana State and Wichita State with the Shockers winning the last 17 straight including a pair of 3-0 victories over the Sycamores a year ago. The Shockers lead the series 35-12 with the last Sycamore win coming in 2002 when ISU won on the home court 3-1. Indiana State is 3-20 at Wichita State and have lost the last 10 games in Wichita, Kan., with the last road win coming in 2000 (3-1).

VS. MISSOURI STATE - This is the 52nd meeting between Indiana State and Missouri State with the Bears winning the last 35 straight including a 3-1 win in Springfield and a 3-0 victory in Terre Haute a year ago. The Bears lead the series 49-2 with the last Sycamore win coming in 1994 with a 3-2 victory at Missouri State. Indiana State is 1-24 at Missouri State and have lost 16 straight in Springfield, Mo.

VS. CHICAGO STATE - This is the 14th meeting between Indiana State and Chicago State with the Sycamores winning every previous meeting including a 3-0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-9) win in the season opener for both clubs during the Quality Inn/ACICS Classic in Terre Haute earlier this season. This is just the third time that ISU has played the Cougars in Chicago with the last meeting coming in 2008 when the Sycamores won 3-0.

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

Live Stats At Wichita State: http://www.goshockers.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?SPID=2838&DB_OEM_ID=7500&LIST_SPORT_ID=W_VOLLEYBALL

Live Stats At Missouri State: http://www.missouristatebears.com/gametracker/launch/gt_wvolley.html?event=1012419&school=mosu&sport=wvolley&camefrom=&startschool=&

Live Video At Wichita State: http://www.goshockers.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?SPSID=61208&SPID=2838&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=7500

Live Video At Missouri State:

http://www.missouristatebears.com/allaccess/