TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State begins the 2024 volleyball season in the South, with the Sycamores traveling to Atlanta for the GSU Invitational. The Sycamores open the season Friday against Georgia State before playing a pair of first-time opponents in Florida A&M and South Dakota State to close out the opening weekend.
Youth Movement
Indiana State will feature one of the youngest rosters in the Missouri Valley Conference for the second straight season. Of the 16 Sycamores on the 2024 roster, 12 are freshmen or sophomores.
Despite the young roster, the Sycamores still have plenty of experience in their squad. Four freshmen were regulars in the starting lineup last season, including unanimous MVC Freshman of the Year
Kira Holland and MVC All-Freshman Team selection
Ella Scott. Indiana State's 2023 leaders in kills (Holland), assists (
Avery Hales), digs (
Macy Lengacher) and blocks (Scott) were all freshmen in 2023, and all four return for the 2024 season.
In addition to the returning talent, the Sycamores strengthened their squad with a five-athlete freshman class for 2024. Outside hitter
Curry Kendall, middle blockers
Anna Ptacin and
Josilyn Wadas, and defensive specialists
Chloe Gilley and
Emmy Sher join the fold this season.
Looking Better In Blue
Indiana State bolsterd its 2024 roster with a pair of transfers who will look to make a significant impact with the Blue and White this year.
Middle blocker
Lily Mueller returns to the Midwest after playing her freshman season at Stetson. Mueller ranked third on the Hatters in blocks with 53 (10 solo, 43 assist) and also added 91 kills in 92 sets. She brings a plethora of high-level experience to the Trees, having previously captained Genoa-Kingston HS to an Illinois Class 2A State Championship.
Setter
Emily Weber is a familiar face to Indiana State, having spent the last two seasons at Missouri Valley Conference rival Illinois State, and immediately bolsters the Sycamores' setter position. Weber started the vast majority of the last two seasons for the Redbirds and has already racked up more than 1400 assists in her career. In addition, she also has 376 digs, 80 blocks and 48 aces to her name across her first two seasons of collegiate volleyball.
Aced It
Indiana State finished the 2023 season with 145 service aces, an improvement by 55 compared to the 2022 season. The Sycamores' exploits from behind the service line was a balanced effort last season, as seven different players registered double-digit service aces for the season.
Three different Sycamores recorded more than 20 service aces in 2023, with
Emma Kaelin (30),
Ella Scott (26) and
Macy Lengacher (24) reaching the mark. In addition,
Avery Hales (19),
Kira Holland (15),
Karinna Gall (11) and
Cadence Gilley (11) had double-digit aces in 2023. With the exception of Gall, all of those athletes return for the Sycamores in 2024.
Kaelin (0.30), Hales (0.27), Scott (0.26) and Lengacher (0.24) all ranked inside the top 30 in the MVC in aces per set. Indiana State was one of just three schools in the MVC to have four different athletes rank in the top 30 in the conference in aces pet set.
Meeting In The Middle
Indiana State middle blocker
Ella Scott looks to build off a 2023 campaign in which she led all Missouri Valley Conference freshmen in hitting percentage (.269) and earned a spot on the MVC All-Freshman Team.
Scott finished the season with 194 kills, the third-most on the team, while her .269 hitting percentage was the best on the team. She tallied double-digit kills in six matches last season, including a season-best 18 at Murray State. Scott also hit .400 or better in eight matches, including five matches with a hitting percentage of .500 or better.
Scott's impact was felt in more ways than just the attacking side, as she led Indiana State with 79 blocks (11 solo, 68 assist) in 2023. She tallied five or more blocks in seven different matches, including a season-high nine in the Sycamores' 2023 home opener against IUPUI. Scott's 79 total blocks and 0.78 blocks per set also ranked inside the top 20 in the MVC.
In addition, Scott was also impactful from behind the service line in 2023. She was second on the team with 26 service aces and 0.26 aces per set, ranking inside the top 25 in the MVC in aces per set. Scott was one of just three middle blockers to rank in the top 30 in the MVC in aces per set last season.
Best In The Valley
Indiana State outside hitter
Kira Holland returns for her sophomore season after putting together one of the best debut campaigns for a Sycamore in program history. Holland was named the unanimous MVC Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Sycamore to win an MVC specialty award in program history. She also accounted for six MVC Freshman of the Week honors, the second-most by a student-athlete in conference history.
Holland led Indiana State with 316 kills and 3.59 kills per set, marks that also led all MVC freshmen and ranked inside the top 10 among all athletes in the conference. Her 3.59 kills per set also ranked in the top 10 among all Division I freshmen. She also added 238 digs, averaging 2.70 per set and showcasing her ability as a six-rotation outside hitter.
Holland got better as the season progressed, as she averaged 3.86 kills and 2.89 digs per set against Missouri Valley Conference foes. She ranked inside the top five in the MVC in kills per set against conference opposition, while also ranking in the top 20 in digs per set in Valley play.
Home Sweet Hulman
Indiana State will play regular season volleyball matches inside Hulman Center for the first time in nearly 20 years in 2024, as Director of Athletics Nathan Christensen announced Thursday that four Sycamore home contests will be moved from ISU Arena to Hulman Center.
Indiana State's conference-opening weekend against UIC (Sept. 27) and Valparaiso (Sept. 28), along with the Sycamores' Senior Weekend against Belmont (Nov. 8) and Murray State (Nov. 9), will take place inside Hulman Center. The Sycamores' six remaining home matches will stay inside ISU Arena, where Indiana State played to near-capacity crowds in 2023.
The four matches mark the first time since the 2007 season that a regular season volleyball match will be played in Hulman Center and the first time in the 25-point era that a volleyball match will be contested inside the venue. Indiana State went 1-1 that season in Hulman Center, defeating Chicago State in four sets and falling to Illinois State in three sets. Hulman Center was also the site of the 2000 Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Championship, in which Indiana State reached the quarterfinals.
This Weekend's Opponents At A Glance
Georgia State is coming off a 2023 season in which it went 5-23 overall and 2-14 in Sun Belt play. The Panthers have nearly an entirely new team in 2024, with 14 newcomers on the roster. Flavia Siqueira's first match as the head coach at Georgia State will come against the Sycamores. Livy Kowalkowski led the Sun Belt Conference with 507 digs, while Akira Burt led the SBC with 102 blocks.
Florida A&M went 18-14 overall in 2023, including a 12-4 mark in SWAC play. The Rattlers reached the championship match of the SWAC Tournament last season and return eight players from last year's team. Gokhan Yilmaz has won a pair of SWAC Championships as head coach of the Rattlers. SWAC Preseason Player of the Year Jada Rhodes joined the program after a stellar career at Alabama State, while key returners Brooke Lynn Watts (365 kills, 258 digs), Isis Williams (150 kils, 100 blocks) and Iyonnie Sanford (237 kills, 69 blocks) were preseason all-conference selections
South Dakota State enters 2024 off the heels of a 9-20 season in 2023. The Jackrabbits went 7-9 in Summit League play and reached the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. Dan Georgalas enters his fifth season as head coach and returns seven players from last year's team. Starters Sylvie Zgonc (374 kills, 270 digs), Katie Van Egdom (333 kills, 217 digs) and Sydni Schetnan (203 kills, 83 blocks) all return for the Jackrabbits for 2024, with Zgonc and Schetnan named Summit League Preseason Players to Watch.
Series History vs. This Weekend's Opponents
Indiana State has played just one match against teams in this weekend' GSU Invitational field. The Sycamores defeated Georgia State in three sets in a neutral-site match in Evansville during the 1995 season.
Indiana State has never faced Florida A&M or South Dakota State prior to this weekend's matches.
Up Next
Indiana State plays a home-and home series against Butler Sept. 6-7. The Sycamores make the trip to Hinkle Fieldhouse Sept. 6 and play host to the Bulldogs for the home opener Sept. 7 at ISU Arena.
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
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Instagram. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the
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