TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State will mark a program first this weekend when the Sycamore Volleyball team travels to Colorado for the first time in program history. ISU will face Colorado, Colorado State and Portland State as part of the Colorado Classic beginning Friday.
 
But traveling to the Rocky Mountain state won't be the only traveling the Sycamores will do this weekend. The Colorado Classic is a split-location tournament with Colorado State hosting Indiana State on Friday in Fort Collins while Colorado hosts the remainder of the tournament matches in Boulder on Saturday.
 
Clear Bag Policy at Colorado | Clear Bag Policy at Colorado State
 
QUICK HITS
• Indiana State makes its first trip to Colorado in program history when the Sycamores compete in the split location Colorado Classic this weekend.
• The Sycamores have never played any of the three teams competing in the Colorado Classic.
• Damadj Johnson is 26th nationally and leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 47 total blocks this season.
• The 2018 campaign marks the second season for the Sycamores under the direction of Lindsay Allman.
• With the 3-1 win over Liberty last weekend, Indiana State won its season opener for the second straight year.
• Setter Makayla Knoblauch, the MVC's Freshman of the Week following the first weekend of play, ranks 44th nationally in total assists (368).
• Damadj Johnson (twice), Laura Gross (twice), Jade York and Rhiannon Morozoff have all received all-tournament honors early in the season with Gross claiming MVP honors once.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Colorado State: The Rams, like ISU, have a 6-3 record but have faced a daunting schedule. Two of their losses have come against Top-20 teams while CSU has claimed wins over Florida State, Oakland, LSU and TCU. Ranked 23rd nationally in blocks per set and total blocks, CSU is a powerful team at the net.
 
Colorado: The Buffaloes have a 5-3 record with one loss against a top-15 opponent (No. 11 Illinois) but recorded 3-0 sweeps of North Carolina and Oklahoma. CU is 42nd nationally in hitting percentage (.256) and 45th in blocks per set (2.5).
 
Portland State: The Vikings (1-8) won their first match of the year but haven't found success since the opener. Portland State is hitting .153 as a team while opponents are hitting .255 against the Vikings.
 
D-FENSE
Damadj "D" Johnson is a tall task to face at the net. She may only stand at 6-0 but is seemingly a brick wall. The last two weekends she has accumulated 32 total blocks including 27 block assists, moving her into seventh place all-time at Indiana State in career block assists (226). Johnson is currently ranked 26th nationally and leads the Valley with 47 total blocks and is 61st nationally and third in the Valley with an average of 1.27 blocks per set (see page 5).
 
KNOBLAUCH AMONG LEADERS
Entering this weekend's play, Indiana State freshman Makayla Knoblauch is quietly making a name for herself as one of the most effective setters in the Valley and the nation. She currently ranks 44th nationally and third in the Valley in total assists (368) while ranking 77th nationally and fifth in the Valley in assists per set (9.95).
 
HOT START
Indiana State knows exactly when match time is. Entering this week's play, the Sycamores have won 7 of the 9 opening sets in 2018 (78 percent). That early advantage might be one clue as to why ISU is 6-3 early this season. When ISU doesn't win the first set, the Trees have split those two matches with a 1-1 record.
 
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.