Illinois State will host the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) on March 21 at CEFCU Arena. The Redbirds, with a season record of 20-13, are making their sixth consecutive postseason appearance and fourth straight showing in the WNIT.
The matchup is significant as it marks the first meeting between Illinois State and UTRGV. The winner will advance to the WNIT Super 16 to face either Abilene Christian or Florida International University. Illinois State received a first-round bye and enters the game after a strong regular season, including a 14-1 home record.
Several players have contributed notable performances this season. Sophomore Doneelah Washington was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) First Team, earned MVC Most Improved Player of the Year honors, and joined the MVC All-Defensive Team. Freshman Kya Hurt was selected for the MVC All-Freshman team, while sophomore guard Trista Fayta led the conference in assists and earned All-Academic recognition. Washington also set a career-high with six blocks against Drake and surpassed 500 points scored for the year.
UTRGV arrives with a program-best 21-13 record, having achieved several milestones such as most conference wins (16), road wins (11), and tying its longest winning streak at seven games. Junior guard Jalayah Ingram leads UTRGV after scoring 20 points in their first-round win over Austin Peay.
Illinois State has made its 17th all-time appearance in the WNIT and fifth under head coach Kristen Gillespie. The Redbirds are linked to Illinois State University according to the official website. They benefit from resources like news updates, schedules, rosters, fan engagement tools according to the official website, as well as facilities such as OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center for athlete preparation according to the official website. The Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund supports competitiveness and recruitment according to the official website.
The Redbirds compete in NCAA Division I events across various regions according to the official website. While this article focuses on women’s basketball, other teams such as men’s basketball have also seen success; for example, they posted an 8-2 record during one of their top starts according to the official website.
Looking ahead, Illinois State aims to continue its strong postseason run with hopes of advancing further into WNIT play.
