TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State returns home to face the top two teams in the Missouri Valley Conference this weekend.
The Sycamores will take on MVC-leading Northern Iowa Friday and second-place Drake Saturday, with both matches slated for a 6 p.m. first serve.
Last Time Out
Indiana State went 0-2 on the road last weekend, dropping a five-set contest at Illinois State before falling in three sets at Bradley.
Kaitlyn Hamilton led the Sycamores with 26 kills across the two matches, tallying double-digit kills in both.
Emma Kaelin finished three kills shy of a triple-double against Bradley, while
Melina Tedrow had at least 15 digs in both matches.
White Out The Forest
Indiana State's match against Northern Iowa Friday evening has been designated as a White Out. Fans are encouraged to pack ISU Arena and wear white as the Sycamores take on the conference-leading Panthers.
Friday's white out was a request from the Sycamore Volleyball student-athletes, who are looking to create an exciting home atmosphere for the Blue and White inside ISU Arena.
Chance at History
Libero
Melina Tedrow is on the verge of making program history once again this season. Tedrow, the school's all-time leader in digs, sits just 21 shy of becoming the first Sycamore to ever reach 2,000 career digs.
She would be the eighth active player in Division I with 2,000 digs and the 14th player in MVC history to reach the milestone.
Calling Card
Indiana State continues to be among the best in the Missouri Valley Conference from a defensive standpoint. Since the calendar turned to conference play, the Sycamores lead the conference in digs per set (18.23 per set) and blocks per set (2.63 per set).
The Trees are the only team in the conference to average more than 18 digs per set in MVC play and more than 2.50 blocks per set in Valley play.
Meeting in the Middle
Indiana State's blockers have hit a new level over the past two weeks of conference play, as the Sycamores have tallied double-digit blocks in four of the last five matches. Over the course of the last five matches, Indiana State has totaled 58 blocks, an average of 11.6 per match and 2.76 per set.
The Sycamores feature two of the top six in blocks in the conference during conference play in middle blockers
Jamie Brown (second, 1.26 per set) and
Storm Suhre (sixth, 1.11 per set) and lead the Valley as a team in blocks per set, both overall (2.29 per set) and in conference play (2.63 per set).
Challenge Ahead
Including this weekend's homestand, Indiana State's next five matches are against the top five teams in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Following this weekend's matches against Northern Iowa (1st) and Drake (T-2nd), the Sycamores will face UIC (T-4th), Valparaiso (T-4th) and Southern Illinois (T-2nd).
Up Next
Indiana State begins a four-match road trip next weekend at UIC (Oct. 28, 7 p.m.) and Valparaiso (Oct. 29, 6 p.m.). The Sycamores will also play Southern Illinois and Missouri State during the upcoming road swing.
