TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – No wins. No losses. Zero and zero. A blank slate.
A new chapter of the 2026 season begins Friday night for Indiana State volleyball, as the Sycamores open Missouri Valley Conference play with a 6 p.m. match against Bradley inside ISU Arena. The Trees remain at home for a Saturday evening tilt against Southern Illinois, also set for a 6 p.m. first serve.
Friday's match will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Chris Machado (play-by-play) and Nyah Wilson (analyst) on the call.
Matchday Promotions
Friday vs. Bradley: The Forest and Student Organization Night, t-shirt giveaway
Saturday vs. Southern Illinois: Kids Club Night, Kids Club activities pre-match
Last Time Out
After playing nine sets in a six-hour span, nobody would've been surprised if Indiana State showed fatigue in their non-conference finale Saturday afternoon. Instead, the Sycamores were the aggressors from the start in a commanding four-set win over Purdue Fort Wayne (25-21, 26-24, 19-25, 25-16) inside the Gates Sports Center.
The win completed a perfect 3-0 weekend for the Sycamores on their way to winning the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational, after sweeping its opening day doubleheader against Stonehill (four sets – 25-23, 19-25, 28-26, 26-24) and Columbia (five sets – 17-25, 25-27, 25-23, 29-27, 15-11). In the process, Indiana State closed its non-conference slate at 6-5 and will enter conference play above .500 for the first time since 2021.
Curry Kendall paced the Sycamore attack with 17 kills and a season-high nine digs on her way to Tournament MVP honors. Kendall was joined on the All-Tournament Team by
Kira Holland and
Avery Hales, the latter of which posted a 26-assist, 11-dig double-double in Saturday's win.
Perfection
Indiana State enters the opening weekend of conference play on a three-match win streak, having swept the field at the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational. The Sycamores picked up wins over Stonehill (four sets), Columbia (five sets) and Purdue Fort Wanye (four sets) over the course of their undefeated weekend.
Indiana State earned a non-conference tournament title for the third straight season with their perfect weekend in Fort Wayne (2024 - Memphis, 2025 - Tennessee State, 2026 - Purdue Fort Wayne). Prior to 2024, the last time Indiana State claimed a non-conference tournament crown was in 2021.
Flipped The Script
Indiana State's second match of the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational showcased the Sycamores' resiliency. After dropping the first two sets to Columbia, the Sycamores engineered a reverse sweep of the Lions (17-25, 25-27, 25-23, 29-27, 15-11) for their second win in a span of less than six hours.
The Trees' reverse sweep of Columbia was the program's first in over five years. Indiana State's last win after dropping the first two sets came on Sept. 10, 2021 against Western Michigan (18-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-21, 16-14) during the Sycamore Invitational. To find the last time the Trees accomplished the feat away from home, one has to go to the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season when Indiana State rallied to reverse sweep Northern Iowa (15-25, 18-25, 25-16, 25-16, 15-6) in Cedar Falls on Feb. 28, 2021.
The Sycamores' five-set win over Columbia was the program's third of the season in five five-set matches, equaling the program's five-set wins and five-set matches from the entire 2025 campaign.
Leading The Charge
Indiana State landed three athletes on the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational All-Tournament Team, with Tournament MVC
Curry Kendall leading the way. Kendall tallied 17 or more kills in all three matches of the tournament, including tying her career high of 19 kills against Stonehill. In the process, she became the first Sycamore since Kynedi Nalls in 2016 to have three straight matches with 17 or more kills.
Kendall was joined on the All-Tournament Team by a pair of seniors in outside hitter
Kira Holland and setter
Avery Hales, after both notched a pair of double-doubles during the weekend. Hales set career highs with 55 assists against Columbia and 20 digs against Stonehill, becoming the first Sycamore since Melina Tedrow in 2018 with more than 50 assists in a match. Holland tallied double-digit digs in all three matches, while recording more than 15 kills in the Sycamores' wins against Stonehill and Columbia.
Trending Upwards
Indiana State's 3-0 showing at the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational ensured that the Sycamores enter Missouri Valley Conference play above the .500 mark for the first time since 2021. The Trees come in with a 6-5 record, one of just four MVC programs to finish with a non-conference record above .500 (Illinois State, Valparaiso and Northern Iowa are the other three).
The Sycamores' last time over .500 in non-conference play was in 2021, when Indiana State finished the non-league slate at 8-2. Indiana State was buoyed by a seven-match win streak that season and earned a spot in the NIVC, the Sycamores' first-ever Division I postseason appearance.
Indiana State's success in 2026 has almost entirely come away from Terre Haute, as the Sycamores own a 5-1 record in neutral site matches. The Trees' five neutral site wins are their most since the 1997 season, while their .833 win percentage in neutral site matches is the program's best since the 1998 campaign (4-0).
Lockdown
Indiana State has made nothing easy for its opponents through the first four weeks of the 2026 season, with the Sycamores ranking among the conference leaders in multiple defensive statistics.
The Trees rank second in the MVC in opponent kills (11.23 per set), opponent assists (10.43 per set) and opponent aces (1.04 per set) this season, trailing only Illinois State in opponent kills and assists and Northern Iowa in opponent aces. Indiana State also ranks third in opponent hitting percentage (.207), behind only Northern Iowa and Illinois State.
Indiana State's defensive numbers entering conference play are a stark contrast to the Sycamores' 2025 marks. The Trees ranked 10th in the 11-school MVC in opponent kills, assists and hitting percentage last season while also ranking seventh in opponent aces.
This Weekend's Opponents At A Glance
Bradley enters conference play at 5-7 after going 1-2 in its home tournament, the CEFCU Invitational. All three of the Braves' matches went five sets, with Bradley defeating UTRGV and falling to New Mexico State and Lindenwood. Reigning MVC Setter of the Year Maria Drapp has dished out 10.02 assists per set, with Gracie Furlong's 3.78 kills per set pacing the Bradley attack.
Southern Illinois comes in at 6-6 following a 1-2 weekend at the Governors Classic. The Salukis swept SIUE before being reverse swept by Gardner-Webb and falling in three sets to Austin Peay. .
Series History vs. This Weekend's Opponents
Indiana State is 34-50 against Bradley, though the Sycamores hold a 24-15 advantage in matches played in Terre Haute. Bradley has won five straight in the series, with Indiana State's last win over the Braves coming in the 2022 MVC opener, which was in Terre Haute.
Indiana State is 26-57 against Southern Illinois, though the Sycamores and Salukis split the season series last year. The Trees are 11-25 at home against SIU, with their last win over the Salukis in Terre Haute coming during the 2021 campaign. Reigning MVC Libero of the Week Jillian Shaneyfelt has averaged 4.41 digs per set this season, with McKenzie Moeller's 2.91 kills per set leading the way for SIU.
Up Next
Indiana State hits the road for the first time in MVC play, as the Sycamores head south to face Belmont (Oct. 2, 7 p.m.) and Murray State (Oct. 3, 6 p.m.)
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