TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closes the month of October on the road, as the Sycamores head west to face the top two teams in the Missouri Valley Conference in Drake (Friday) and Northern Iowa (Saturday).
 
Both matches are slated for a 7 p.m. first serve, with Friday's match at Drake being carried on ESPN+
 

Indiana State Volleyball at Drake / Northern Iowa
Date	Friday, October 25 | 7 p.m. ET // Saturday, October 26 | 7 p.m. ET
Location // Venue	Des Moines, Iowa // Knapp Center (7,152) | Cedar Falls, Iowa // McLeod Center (6,650)
Preview Info	Indiana State Notes // Drake Notes // Northern Iowa Notes
Live Stats	vs. Drake // vs. Northern Iowa
Watch	Friday Stream (ESPN+) // No Stream Saturday at Northern Iowa
Social Media	@IndStVB // @IndStAthletics

  
Last Time Out
Indiana State went 1-2 in its recent three-match homestand, capping off the stay at ISU Arena Monday night with a three-set sweep of Evansville (25-23, 25-23, 25-21). Curry Kendall had 19 kills on a .529 hitting percentage, while Emily Weber came three kills shy of a triple-double (seven kills, 39 assists, 14 digs). The Sycamores' other two matches in the homestand were a four-set loss to Missouri State and a five-set loss to Southern Illinois, the latter of which involved Indiana State nearly overcoming a two-set deficit.
 
Despite the 1-2 record, the homestand was arguably Indiana State's most consistent three-match stretch of the season from a statistical standpoint. The Sycamores recorded 50-plus kills and 60-plus digs in all three matches, while hitting above .200 in each match.
 
Back On Track
Indiana State closed out its recent three-match homestand in style Monday night, as the Sycamores downed Evansville in three sets inside ISU Arena.
 
Despite Evansville featuring the nation's leader in kills in Giulia Cardona, Indiana State freshman outside hitter Curry Kendall stole the show with 19 kills and just one error, hitting .529 in the three-set sweep for the Sycamores. Kendall also added 14 digs for her second straight double-double.
 
Sycamore setter Emily Weber ran an offensive clinic for the Blue and White, dishing out 39 assists and also adding seven kills on 10 attempts from an attacking standpoint. Weber also tallied 14 digs, coming just three kills shy of Indiana State's first triple-double since 2007.
 
Indiana State's win over Evansville was arguably the Sycamores' most complete performance of the season. The Trees had the advantage in kills (51-42) and digs (61-59), while hitting .290 for the match compared to just .214 for Evansville.
 
 
Climbing The Charts
Indiana State setter Emily Weber surpassed 2,000 assists for her collegiate career during the Sycamores' recent match against Southern Illinois. Weber enters the weekend with 2,052 career assists, with 592 of those assists coming this season, her first with the Sycamores.
 
The recent homestand for Weber was her best of the conference season, as she averaged 10.67 assists per set. In addition, she averaged 2.58 digs and 1.08 kills per set over the last three matches, registering double-doubles against both Southern Illinois and Evansville. Weber had the match-clinching kill in the Sycamores' win over Evansville.
 
Back To Business
After missing the first six weeks of the season due to injury, outside hitter Kira Holland made her return to the lineup in Indiana State's most recent road series at Illinois State and Bradley.
 
Holland, the unanimous 2023 MVC Freshman of the Year, has started each of the last five matches for the Sycamores and has averaged 2.00 kills and 2.33 digs per set across her 16 sets played. She had back-to-back matches with 10-plus digs against Southern Illinois and Evansville to close out the last homestand for Indiana State.
 
Heavy Hitter
Indiana State freshman Curry Kendall has been the Sycamores' top attacking option since the start of conference play, with more than 60 percent of her kills for the season coming against MVC competition.
 
Kendall has 89 kills through the first nine matches of the conference slate, averaging 3.43 kills per set in that span. Her 3.07 kills per set since the start of conference play ranks first among all MVC freshmen and 11th overall in the conference.
 
The last three matches for Indiana State were Kendall's three best matches from an attacking standpoint, as she totaled 52 kills across 12 sets, an average of 4.33 per set. She had 19 kills against both Missouri State and Evansville, and also added 14 kills against Southern Illinois. Kendall's performance against Evansville was the best attacking output by a Sycamore this season, as she had just one error on 34 attempts for a .529 hitting percentage.
 
In addition, Kendall also ranks third on the team with 61 digs since the start of conference play, averaging 2.10 digs per set against MVC foes.
 
Welcome Presence
Indiana State middle blocker Lily Mueller missed multiple weeks of the non-conference slate due to injury, but has come back to be an important part of the Sycamores' rotation during conference play.
 
Mueller has averaged one kill per set since the start of conference play, hitting .195 in 28 sets against MVC foes compared to a negative hitting percentage in 16 sets played against non-conference foes. Her blocking numbers are also up to 0.64 blocks per set against MVC competition, compared to 0.50 blocks per set during non-conference play.
 
Mueller is tied for the team lead with four block solos against conference foes, while her seven block solos for the season are the most on the team.
On The Road Again
Indiana State finds itself in a familiar spot, as the Sycamores are on the road for the third time in the last four weekends. Six of the Sycamores' nine matches in the month of October are away from Terre Haute.
 
Following this weekend's matches, just one of Indiana State's last seven will be contested outside the state of Indiana. The Sycamores have a four-match homestand to begin the month of November, with road matches at Valparaiso and Evansville also looming. The Trees' lone match outside the Hoosier State down the stretch is at UIC.
 
This Weekend's Opponents At A Glance
Drake enters the weekend at 12-8 overall and 8-1 in conference play. The Bulldogs are a perfect 4-0 at home this season, with their only conference loss coming to league-leading Northern Iowa. Macy Daufeldt, Ashlynn Kuhn and Megan Witte have all surpassed 200 kills this season, with Addison Beagle dishing out more than 500 assists. Jada Wills has totaled nearly 500 digs, while Bliss Beck and Aniyah Davis both have more than 60 blocks.
 
Northern Iowa comes in at 14-7 overall and a perfect 9-0 in conference play. The Panthers have won 27 straight conference matches dating back to the start of the 2023 season. Kira Fallert and Cassidy Hartman are both over 200 kills, while Sydney Golden and Reese Booth have combined for more than 800 assists. Erin Powers has a team-high 345 digs, while Kacie Rewerts has 100 blocks this season.
 
Series History vs. This Weekend's Opponents
Indiana State is 30-44 all-time against Drake, with the Bulldogs winning each of the last three meetings in the series. The Sycamores' last win in the series came in 2021, when Indiana State swept the season series with wins in Des Moines (four sets) and Terre Haute (three sets).
 
Indiana State is 6-69 all-time against Northern Iowa, with the Panthers winning each of the last three in the series. The Sycamores' last win in the series was a five-set win in Terre Haute during the 2021 season, while Indiana State's lone win in Cedar Falls came in five sets during the 2020-21 season.
 
Up Next
Indiana State returns home for its next four matches, with Illinois State (Nov. 1), Bradley (Nov. 2), Belmont (Nov. 8) and Murray State (Nov. 9) all making the trip to Terre Haute in the coming weeks.

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