TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State heads to the Mid-South for a trio of matches in a 24-hour span Friday and Saturday, as the Sycamores take part in the Bluff City Showdown in Memphis, Tennessee. The Trees will face Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Lamar and Memphis while in the Volunteer State.
Saturday's match against Memphis will be carried on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
Indiana State and Butler squared off in a home-and-home series, with the Bulldogs winning both matches. Butler won in three sets Friday at Hinkle Fieldhouse and defeated the Sycamores in four sets Saturday at ISU Arena.
Emma Kaelin had double-digit kills in both matches, while
Jadyn Smith had a career-high 17 kills in Saturday's home opener.
Chloe Gilley's 4.67 digs per set in Friday's match was the best per-set average by a Sycamore this season.
Aced It
Indiana State has been lethal from the service line to start the 2024 season, as the Sycamores rank in the top 30 nationally with 2.11 aces per set. The Trees have 40 aces through their first five matches and are the only school in the Missouri Valley Conference averaging more than two aces per set.
Indiana State's success from the service line has been a balanced effort, as five different Sycamores have recorded five or more aces this season.
Ella Scott leads the way with 10 aces, while her 0.53 aces per set rank second in the MVC and inside the top 100 nationally.
As a team, Indiana State already has a pair of matches with double-digit aces this season after having just four such matches in all of 2023. The Sycamores had 12 aces against Georgia State and 10 against South Dakota State.
Seeing Double
Indiana State utilized the new double-libero rule in its home opener against Butler, with sisters Cadence and
Chloe Gilley splitting the libero duties against the Bulldogs. The duo combined for 15 digs in the Trees' four-set match, an average of 3.75 per set.
The Sycamores were the first MVC school to use the double-libero rule, which was introduced this season, while the Gilleys were the first set of sisters in the NCAA to split the double-libero duties in the same match.
Off And Running
Indiana State's home opener didn't go in the Sycamores' favor, but that didn't stop a pair of Trees from putting together career-best efforts against Butler.
Sophomore outside hitter
Jadyn Smith notched a career-high 17 kills on a .361 hitting percentage, and also added five digs against the Bulldogs. Smith tallied double-digit kills for the second time this season and has already matched her 2023 kills total with 40 through the first two weekends of play.
Emma Kaelin registered her second double-double of the season with 14 kills and 11 digs against Butler, tying her career high in kills in the process. Kaelin has four matches with double-digit kills through the first two weekends and leads Indiana State in kills, despite this being her first season on the outside.
Growing The Game
As the sport of volleyball continues to grow in poplularity, so do the crowds who come to witness the sport. Indiana State is no different in that matter, having had one of its best-attended seasons of all time in 2023.
Indiana State's crowds in 2023 were among the best in program history, with the Sycamores filling ISU Arena to 93 percent capacity during the season. Indiana State played in front of over-capacity crowds for four of its nine home matches in 2023.
The announced attendance of 651 in Indiana State's 2023 home opener against IUPUI was the largest crowd to witness an Indiana State volleyball match in the facility it its current configuration.
Indiana State's 2024 attendance numbers are already off to a strong start, as the Sycamores drew an over-capacity crowd in their home opener against Butler.
Welcome Home
Indiana State's attacking numbers took a positive turn in the Sycamores' home opener against Butler. The Trees hit a season-best .220 against the Bulldogs with 51 kills in their four-set match. Indiana State's 20 attack errors also represented the Trees' best per-set average this season (5.00 per set).
In addition to the career-best totals from
Jadyn Smith (17 kills) and
Emma Kaelin (14 kills),
Ella Scott and
Emily Weber both averaged more than one kill per set. Nine different Sycamores had at least one kill in the home opener.
Opponents At A Glance
Arkansas-Pine Bluff enters the weekend at 0-7 and is coming off a three-set midweek loss to Oral Roberts. UAPB was 0-3 at the Skyhawk Classic last week. Zykia Jones leads the Golden Lions with 55 kills, while MacKenzie McDowell and Jones both have more than 60 digs.
Lamar enters at 3-3 and is coming off a 2-0 weekend at the Colonel Classic. Lyric Jordan leads the team with 93 kills, while Maja Malinowski also averages more than three kills per set. Alexa Gonzalez already has 212 assists, while Keely Nellis has 94 digs.
Memphis comes into the week at 3-3 and went 1-2 at the Saluki Bash. Hannah Jones leads a balanced attack with 56 kills, with eight different Tigers recording 20-plus kills this season. Jordan Heatherly has 180 assists, while Abigail Schlueter has a team-high 75 digs.
Series History vs. This Weekend's Opponents
Indiana State has played against Arkansas-Pine Bluff just once, defeating the Golden Lions in three sets in Edwardsville, Illinois during the 2014 season. The Sycamores are 0-3 all-time against Memphis and have not faced the Tigers since the 2008 season.
Indiana State has never faced Lamar prior to Saturday's match against the Cardinals.
Up Next
Indiana State plays a midweek match Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at IU-Indianapolis before taking part in the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational September 20-21 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
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.
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