Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
SETTING THE STAGE
The Indiana State volleyball program begins the 2016 campaign at the Marriott Invitational in Birmingham, Ala., on Friday, August 26 and continues play on Saturday. The Sycamores open the season against South Alabama on Friday at 11:00 a.m. (ET) before taking on host Samford that evening at 8:00 p.m. On Saturday, the Sycamores will face Nicholls State at 2:00 p.m. (ET).
SERIES HISTORY
South Alabama (0-0)
All Time Series: First Meeting
Last Meeting: N/A
Under Coach Dahl-Skinner: 0-0
Samford (0-0)
All Time Series: First Meeting
Last Meeting: N/A
Under Coach Dahl-Skinner: 0-0
Nicholls State (0-0)
All Time Series: First Meeting
Last Meeting: N/A
Under Coach Dahl-Skinner: 0-0
ABOUT THE HEAD COACH
Traci Dahl-Skinner
9th season (90-155)
FOR OPENERS
Indiana State opens its 40th season of volleyball this weekend at the Marriott Invitational on the campus of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. The Sycamores are 16-23 all-time in season opening contests, dating back to the first recorded season of record in 1977. Indiana State opens with South Alabama on Friday morning and they are 7-3 in season openers on a neutral court. ISU also has tallied four season opening victories at home and five on the road. Under ninth-year head coach Traci Dahl-Skinner, the Sycamores are 5-3 in season opening games. Indiana State recorded a win in five consecutive season openers from 2010-2014.
BACK TO BACK WINNERS
With its victory on November 13, 2015 at Evansville, Indiana State secured the program's first back-to-back winning seasons since 1981 & 1982. The Sycamores finished above .500 last season with a 17-16 overall record after compiling a 17-13 overall record in 2014. Indiana State will be vying for its first-ever third consecutive winning campaign in 2016.
BINDERNAGEL STREAK CONTINUES
Indiana State libero Stephanie Bindernagel enters the 2016 campaign with a streak of 19 consecutive matches in which she has reached double digit digs. Bindernagel posted 12 digs in the 2015 finale at Illinois State. Last season, the Bainbridge, Ohio native recorded at least 10 digs in 28 of the 33 matches played. Bindernagel returns for the Sycamores after tallying a team-high 483 digs with 20 service aces a year ago.
NALLS NAMED ALL-MVC
Right side/middle blocker Kynedi Nalls put together a nice junior campaign as she led the Sycamores in kills with 340 last season. The Fort Worth, Texas native nearly doubled her kills from the 2014 season and more than tripled her blocks from 25 in 2014 to 88 in 2015. For her standout effort, she was named a second team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection in 2015.
STAR SPANGLER BANNER
Indiana State will receive an offensive boost in 2016 with the return of senior outside hitter Bree Spangler who enjoyed a productive junior campaign in 2015. Spangler notched 272 kills and 34 service aces. Also solid defensively, Spangler posted 294 digs for the Sycamores one year ago.
EVERY GOOD TUNE HAS A MELODY
A force in the middle one year ago, returning for her senior campaign in 2016 is middle blocker Melody Burdette. She posted 270 kills one season ago and proved to be a rally stopper at the net with 40 total blocks in 2015.
SYCAMORES PICKED 7TH IN THE MVC
The Sycamores have been picked to finish seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference standings as announced late this summer by the league office. Wichita State was picked to defend its conference championship. Indiana State begins conference play on Friday, September 16 at home against Bradley as part of the Indiana State Tournament.
BLOCK PARTY
One of the vast improvements for the Sycamores last season was its presence on the block. Their 305.0 total blocks was the most by a team in the MVC and was third in the league with 2.34 blocks per set. It also ranked as the third most in a single season at Indiana State. In addition, its 424 block assists were the second most in a single season and just the second time in history it eclipsed the 400 mark (467, 1996). ISU also eclipsed the 300 plus block mark again for just the third time in program history and the first since 1996.
NON CONFERENCE SUCCESS IN 2015
The Sycamores post another winning record (11-4) versus non-conference foes in 2015. It marked the first time since 2010 and 2011 that ISU has posted back-to-back winning non-conference seasons for ISU. The Sycamores claimed tournament titles at the Golden Flashes Classic (co-champs) and at its own ISU Classic. The Sycamores defeated both road tournament hosts (Morehead State and Kent State) while winning its one true road non-con game at Eastern Illinois.
SMART SYCAMORES
ISU earned its 18th straight AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2015 season. The streak is the longest among all schools and ties Drury University (Division II) for the longest streak in the history of the award.
UP NEXT
The Sycamores will travel to West Virginia for the Capital Classic on September 2 & 3 in Charleston, W.V. The Sycamores will face West Virginia on Friday, September 2 at 10:00 a.m. (ET) and then take on Morehead State at 5:00 p.m. The tournament wraps up on Saturday, September 3 when they take on Marshall at 1:00 p.m.
