McLean County Times

Illinois State volleyball concludes its 2024 non-conference season this weekend, traveling to Boca Raton, Florida, for the Owls Paradise Classic.

The Redbirds will open the tournament against host FAU on Friday morning at 11 a.m. CT before facing Stetson Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. CT. Competition wraps up for ISU on Saturday morning against Mercer at 10 a.m. CT.

All matches at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena are free admission.

SCHEDULE

-Friday: 11:00 a.m. CT at FAU (5-4 in 2024) | WATCH | Live Stats

-Friday: 3:30 p.m. CT vs Stetson (3-5 in 2024) | FloVolleyball ($) | Live Stats

-Saturday: 10:00 a.m. CT vs Mercer (9-1 in 2024) | FloVolleyball ($) | Live Stats

ABOUT THE FIELD

For the first time in program history, the Redbirds will face FAU, Stetson, and Mercer this weekend.

The Redbirds also make the trip to Florida for the first time since 2015 when they faced Miami (FL), Kansas State, and Florida A&M in the Hurricane Invitational.

AUPIU, AUPIU, AUPIU

Illinois State senior setter Mekaila Aupiu has fit right in since joining the Redbirds prior to the 2024 season.

Aupiu leads the team and is sixth nationally with 386 assists, is tied for second on the team in block solos (4), and ranks 89th in the NCAA for assists/set (9.19).

POLAND'S FINEST

Illinois State freshman Oliwia Caputa had quite the weekend in Milwaukee at the Panther Invitational, as the Poland native set new career-bests in five categories.

Caputa set a new career high in kills (14), digs (8), and blocks (2) versus UW-Milwaukee.

The Zywiec, Poland native also set a new career best with one ace and one assist in the matchup versus Iowa.

EXTRA, EXTRA

Illinois State claimed a 3-0 sweep over Army in the Billiken Invitational on September 6 with a 32-30 set three win.

The 32 points are the first time Illinois State has scored 30+ points to win a set since November 2019 versus Drake (31).

UNDER THE LIGHTS OF CEFCU

Illinois State saw nine athletes make their CEFCU Arena debut during the Linda Herman Volleyball Classic on August 30-31, including all six true freshmen.

PRESEASON ALL-MVC

Junior Aida Shadewald garnered preseason All-MVC honors after earning All-MVC First Team honors in 2023.

Shadewald joins members from UNI, Drake, Evansville, and Murray State on the 2024 Preseason All-MVC team.

For all latest on Illinois State volleyball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team on X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

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

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