McLean County Times

Illinois State University's volleyball team is set to travel south for two Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) matches, facing Belmont in Nashville on October 10 and Murray State in Kentucky on October 11. The Redbirds currently hold an even record in conference play and are aiming for a weekend sweep.

Sophomore Khenedi Guest has emerged as a key player for Illinois State, ranking second in attack percentage, tenth in kills per set, and first in blocks per set among MVC athletes. She is one of six players in the conference to rank within the top 30 across all three categories, with her combined ranking being the highest among them.

Freshman Ella Craggs was named MVC Freshman of the Week after strong performances against UIC and Valparaiso. She achieved back-to-back matches with over 40 assists, becoming the first Illinois State freshman since 2017 to do so. Her assist totals ranked fourth among NCAA freshmen for the week and were the highest in the MVC regardless of class.

Fifth-year libero Arianna Rossi recorded a match-high 39 digs against Bradley, tying for the second-highest single-match total nationally this season.

Khenedi Guest also leads the MVC in total blocks and blocks per set through 14 matches, holding a six-block lead over her nearest competitor.

The Redbirds have participated in several extended sets this season, playing 11 sets that required more than 25 points to win and achieving a record of 6-5 in those contests. Their second-set victory over Butler ended at 34-32—the second-highest scoring set in program history and tied for eleventh-highest nationally this year. In total, Illinois State has played 13 extended sets across their first 16 matches, tying for fourteenth-most in school history.

A notable home crowd attended ISU's opening weekend closer against Illinois at CEFCU Arena, with attendance reaching 2,874—one of the ten largest home crowds since 2003.

An Illinois State player earned her second career MVC Player of the Week honor following strong performances during opening weekend. She tallied 29 kills over nine sets while averaging more than three kills per set with a .278 hitting percentage. She is one of two MVC players averaging at least three kills and digs per set and is uniquely ranked within the top fifteen for kills per set, hitting percentage, aces per set, and digs per set.

The Redbirds began their season by winning nine consecutive sets during opening weekend and extended that streak to eleven—the second-longest season-opening run in school history—after taking two more sets against Loyola.

Nine different Redbird athletes have posted double-digit kill matches this season—a mark not reached since 2003.

Five players have received All-Tournament Team honors during non-conference tournaments: Aida Shadewald (who also earned Most Valuable Player), Arianna Rossi, Ruth Ziegler (Western Michigan Tournament), Logan Grevengoed (Kwik Star Klassic), and Caitlyn Little (Dayton Flyer Invitational).

Illinois State returned eight student-athletes who started at least nine matches last year while welcoming what is considered its top-rated recruiting class ever. The team was picked to finish third in the preseason MVC Coaches Poll; both Aida Shadewald and Khenedi Guest were selected to the preseason All-MVC squad.

Historically, Illinois State holds a combined record of ten wins and two losses against their upcoming opponents—undefeated (3-0) when playing Belmont in Nashville and holding a positive record (2-1) versus Murray State on their court.