McLean County Times

Illinois State volleyball is set to face in-state rival Illinois in a non-conference match on Tuesday night in Champaign. The match, starting at 7 p.m., will be broadcast live on B1G+. This is Illinois State's only non-conference match not connected to a weekend tournament.

Illinois State opened the 2024 season at home for the first time since 2009, finishing with a 1-2 record against Central Michigan, Bellarmine, and Lindenwood. Since 2009, ISU has maintained a home record of 141-65, achieving a .500 record or better in 11 seasons.

The team will play at Illinois' Huff Hall for the second consecutive season. Last year, they lost a four-set match to the Fighting Illini in front of nearly 3,000 fans. The Redbirds have not won at Huff Hall since October 17, 1984, having lost their last eleven matches there.

During the recent Linda Herman Volleyball Classic, nine athletes made their CEFCU Arena debut for Illinois State, including six true freshmen. Junior Colleen Hege, graduate student Maggie McCrary, and senior Mekaila Aupiu also made their ISU debuts over the weekend.

In the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) preseason poll for 2024, Illinois State was picked fourth and received one first-place vote. Junior Aida Shadewald was named to the seven-member Preseason All-MVC team alongside athletes from Evansville, UNI, Murray State, Drake, and UIC.

For more information on Illinois State volleyball, visit GoRedbirds.com and follow the team on social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App provide sources for tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia content, merchandise photos and more.