TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closes its 2023 season Wednesday evening when it faces in-state foe Evansville at 6 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
Indiana State swept a pair of Missouri Valley Conference in a span of 26 hours, dispatching of both Murray State and Belmont in three sets. Kira Holland led the Sycamores with 32 kills across the two matches, while Avery Hales averaged more than 11 assists and three digs per set in the weekend sweep.
 
Senior Sendoff
Indiana State sent out its senior class, consisting of outside hitters Karinna Gall, Mallory Keller and Kaitlyn Hamilton, middle blocker Jamie Brown and defensive specialist Asia Povlin, in style with a pair of three-set sweeps at home over the weekend.
 
The three-set wins marked the first time Indiana State swept a weekend series since November 2021, while it also marked the first time since October 2014 that Indiana State swept a weekend conference series without dropping a set.
 
Weekly Winner
Indiana State outside hitter Kira Holland earned her league-leading sixth MVC Freshman of the Week honor after hitting nearly .300 with 32 kills in Indiana State's wins over Murray State and Belmont. Holland's 18 kills on a .452 hitting percentage were both career-bests for a three-set match.
 
In the process, Holland became just the third player in conference history to earn six MVC Freshman of the Week honors in a season.
 
First-Year Fun
Indiana State's freshman class has made a significant impact on the program in the 2023 season. The Sycamores boast the conference's freshman leader in kills per set (Kira Holland), assists per set (Avery Hales), blocks (Ella Scott) and hitting percentage (Scott), while also having two of the top three freshmen in digs per set (Holland and Macy Lengacher).
 
All five freshmen who have been active play a role in the Sycamore rotation, with four of them being regulars in the starting lineup.
 
Closing Time
In addition to it being the final match of the season, Wednesday's match closes Indiana State's 10-match home slate this season.
 
Indiana State has averaged 93 percent capacity in its nine home matches this season.
 
Evansville At A Glance
Wednesday's match is also the season finale for Evansville, who enters at 10-19 overall and 5-12 in conference play. The Purple Aces defeated Murray State and Belmont last weekend, with both wins coming in four sets.
 
Evansville features the nation's leader in kills in Giulia Cardona, who averages 5.32 kills per set and has a chance of reaching 600 kills for the season. Melanie Feliciano also averages more than three kills per set for the Purple Aces, while Kora Ruff averages more than 10 assists per set. Ainoah Cruz has a team-high 468 digs, while Brooke Springer leads Evansville with 83 blocks.
 
Series History
Indiana State leads the all-time series against Evansville 47-36, though the Purple Aces have won each of the last four matches in the series. The Sycamores' last win in Evansville came during the 2020-21 spring season that was altered due to COVID-19.

Follow the Sycamores
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. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.