TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – For the first time since 2011, the No. 6 seed Indiana State volleyball team is preparing for the Missouri Valley Conference tournament as it faces No. 3 seed Wichita State on Thanksgiving night. Match time is set for 8:37 p.m. ET in Cedar Falls, Iowa and will be seen live on ESPN3.
Indiana State Sycamores
Head Coach: Traci Dahl-Skinner
Career Record: 74-139 (7th Season)
Record at ISU: Same
2014 Record: 17-13
2014 MVC Finish: 9-9
2014 Stat Leaders
Kills - 394, Bree Spangler
Hitting Percentage - .356, Cassandra Willis
Digs - 367, Stephanie Bindernagel
Assists - 1155, Erika Nord
Points - 430.0, Bree Spangler
Blocks - 87, Cassandra Willis
Aces - 35, Stephanie Bindernagel
Wichita State Shockers
Head Coach: Chris Lamb
At Wichita State: 332-138
Career Record: Same
2014 Record: 19-9
2014 MVC Finish: 13-5
2014 Stat Leaders
Kills - 255, Abbie Lehman
Hitting Percentage - .382, Abbie Lehman
Digs - 506, Dani Mostrom
Assists -1046, Emily Hiebert
Points - 300.0, Abbie Lehman
Blocks - 80, Abbie Lehman
Aces - 26, Katie Reilly
Series History
vs. Wichita State: Indiana State trails 12-45
In the MVC Tournament: 0-1 (in a 0-3 loss in 2011)
Previously With...
The Sycamores will hope the third time is a charm against the Shockers this season as it previously dropped 0-3 decisions on Sept. 20 and Nov. 21. On Sept. 20, ISU couldn't overcome a poor hitting percentage (.100) as it dropped three sets to the Shockers (19-25, 16-25, 20-25). Bree Spangler led ISU with 11 kills in the road loss while Stephanie Bindernagel and Rachel Griffin added seven digs each. On Nov. 21, Indiana State played all three sets tight with WSU, dropping sets with scores of 20-25, 22-25, 22-25 on its home court. Spangler recorded her 12th double-double of the season with a team-high 12 kills and 13 digs. Junior middle blocker Cassandra Willis added 11 on a .417 hitting percentage.
Scouting the Shockers
Wichita State brings a 19-9 overall record into Thursday's meeting, led by freshman Abbie Lehman's .382 hitting percentage (255 kills) and team-high 80 blocks. Libero Dani Mostrom posts a league second-best 506 digs while setter Emily Hiebert has dished 1046 assists on the season. As a team, WSU is ranked second in the league in hitting percentage (.243), assists (12.57 per set) and third in kills (13.58 per set) and digs (15.75 per set).
News and Notes
ISU will take part in its first Missouri Valley Conference tournament since 2011 in Cedar Falls, Iowa with a Thanksgiving matchup with No. 3 Wichita State. The last time ISU made the tournament it faced Wichita State in a 0-3 loss.
The Sycamores are 1-8 all-time in tournament history, making their ninth appearance overall.
Sophomore outside hitter Bree Spangler and junior setter Erika Nord were named MVC Scholar Athlete First Team selections on Tuesday. Spangler holds a 4.0 GPA in speech and language pathology while Nord records a 3.7 GPA in biology. The duo is the first pair of Sycamores to earn first team honors since 2010.
Indiana State finished the regular season 17-13 for the first winning season since 1982 and the 9-9 finish in the MVC is the best mark since 2003.
ISU completed their 2014 home schedule with a 10-3 overall record which marked the best finish since 1981 when it was 12-3 on its home court.
With a league-leading 165 aces on the season, ISU is 45th in the country in that category, averaging 1.47 aces per set.
As a team, the Sycamores are ranked in the top of a variety of MVC stats as they lead in service aces (165, 1.47 per set), fourth in hitting percentage (.225) and opponent hitting percentage (.207) and fifth in assists (1392, 12.43 per set), kills (1489, 13.29 per set) and digs (1717, 15.33 per set).
Individually, Willis (.359) and senior middle blocker Kyla Thomas (.335) rank third and fifth respectively, in hitting percentage. Junior setter Erika Nord is fourth in assists (10.69 per set) while defensive specialists Stephanie Bindernagel (35, 0.31 per set) and Shannon Murphy (33, 0.29 per set) and are third and fourth in service aces. Sophomore outside hitter Bree Spangler ranks fourth in kills (394, 3.52 per set) and sixth in total points (430.0, 3.84 per set).
The winner of Thursday's match will face the No. 2 seed host Northern Iowa on Friday at 8:37 p.m. ET. The match will be shown live on ESPN3.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Volleyball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
