TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State embarks on a three-match road trip to round out the season, with the Sycamores set to face Valparaiso (Friday), UIC (Saturday) and Evansville (Wednesday) to finish off the 2024 slate.
 
All three matches are slated for a 7 p.m. first serve and will be carried on ESPN+.
 
Last Time Out
Indiana State closed out its home slate with a four-set loss to Belmont and a three-set loss to Murray State, with both matches taking place inside Hulman Center.
 
Curry Kendall led the Sycamores against Belmont with 11 kills and a career-high 19 digs, while Kira Holland tallied eight kills to lead the Trees against Murray State. Chloe Gilley registered 35 digs across the two matches, an average of five per set.
 
Heavy Hitter
Indiana State freshman Curry Kendall's best numbers of the season have come against conference foes, with the first-year outside hitter averaging nearly three kills per set against MVC opposition. Kendall sits 18 kills shy of reaching 200 for the season, and has seven matches with double-digit kills this year.
 
In addition, Kendall also has registered 127 digs this year, most of which have come against conference foes. She is averaging more than 2.3 digs per set in MVC play and has four matches with double-digit digs.
 
On The Road Again
Indiana State closes out its season in a familiar spot – traveling. The Sycamores have played two-thirds of their matches this season away from home, with the 2024 campaign being the third in the last four seasons that the Sycamores end the year on the road.
 
Indiana State is in search of an elusive road conference win, something the Sycamores have yet to accomplish this season. The Trees' lone win during conference play came at home against Evansville.
 
Aced It
Indiana State has six different players with double-digit aces this season, including four with more than 20. Emma Kaelin has a team-high 28 aces, with Ella Scott (23), Cadence Gilley (21) and Emily Weber (21) all recording more than 20 aces.
 
As a team, the Sycamores have 137 aces, with 13 of the 16 players on the roster recording at least one ace. The Trees average 1.43 aces per set this season.
 
Block Party
Indiana State has four matches with double-digit blocks this season, including a pair against conference foes. The Trees recorded a season-high 14 blocks last weekend against Belmont and also had an 11-block performance against Valparaiso.
 
Ella Scott ranks among the conference leaders with 92 blocks and 0.96 blocks per set, with Emily Weber (0.61) and Lily Mueller (0.54) also averaging more than 0.5 blocks per set among the Sycamores' regular rotation players.
 
This Weekend's Opponents At A Glance
Valparaiso enters at 15-12 overall and 7-8 in conference play. The Beacons are looking to secure their MVC Tournament spot during this closing stretch. Elise Swistek leads the attack with 313 kills, while Valpo features one of the top liberos in the conference in Emma Hickey, who will surpass 600 digs this season during the weekend.
 
UIC is 18-9 overall, including a 10-5 mark in conference play. The Flames have seven different players with more than 100 kills, with Cleo Lorenzo leading the way with 247. Zahria Woodard is among the MVC's best middle blockers with 1.43 blocks per set.
 
Evansville enters the weekend at 6-21 overall and 5-10 in conference play. The Aces are fighting for an MVC Tournament spot, and are currently tied for the final spot. Giulia Cardona averages 5.60 kills per set and is responsible for nearly half of Evansville's attacking output.
 
Series History vs. This Weekend's Opponents
Indiana State is 17-18 all-time against Valparaiso, with the Beacons winning each of the last four in the series. The Sycamores' last win came in 2021 in Terre Haute.
 
Indiana State is 3-7 all-time against UIC and has never won a road match against the Flames. The Sycamores last defeated UIC in 2023 in Terre Haute.
 
Indiana State is 48-37 against Evansville, including a three-set win over the Purple Aces this season in Terre Haute.

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.