McLean County Times

The Illinois State Redbirds volleyball team will travel west this weekend for two Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) matches. The team is scheduled to play the Northern Iowa Panthers on Friday in Cedar Falls, followed by a match against the Drake Bulldogs in Des Moines on Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore Khenedi Guest has emerged as a key player for Illinois State this season. She currently ranks fifth in attack percentage, 15th in kills per set, and fourth in blocks per set among MVC players. Guest is one of only eight players in the conference to be ranked inside the top 30 across all three categories, with her combined ranking being the highest among those athletes.

Freshman Ella Craggs was named MVC Freshman of the Week after strong performances against UIC and Valparaiso. She recorded back-to-back matches with over 40 assists, becoming the first Illinois State freshman since 2017 to achieve that feat in consecutive conference contests. Her assist totals were among the highest nationally for freshmen during that week and led all MVC players regardless of class.

Fifth-year libero Arianna Rossi also made headlines earlier this season by recording 39 digs in a match against Bradley on September 27. This figure ties for the third-highest single-match total in NCAA Division I this year.

Illinois State’s defense has been strong at the net as well. Through their first 20 matches, Khenedi Guest leads the MVC in total blocks and ranks third in blocks per set.

The Redbirds have played several extended sets this season. Fourteen sets required more than 25 points to decide a winner, including a second-set victory over Butler by a score of 34-32—the second-highest scoring set in program history and tied for eleventh nationally this year.

Additionally, through their first 18 matches, Illinois State participated in thirteen overtime sets—more than any previous Redbird team through fourteen matches and tied for fourteenth-most nationally for an entire season.

Fan support has been notable as well; during their opening weekend match against Illinois at CEFCU Arena, attendance reached 2,874—a figure ranking among the ten largest home crowds since 2003.

Aida Shadewald earned her second career MVC Player of the Week honor following an opening weekend where 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 players in the MVC to be averaging at least 3.0 kills and digs, and the only player to rank inside of the top-15 in kills per set, hitting percentage, aces per set, and digs per set." Shadewald led Illinois State offensively during two out of three matches that week.

The Redbirds began their season with nine straight set wins across three matches before extending that streak to eleven consecutive sets—the second-longest such run to open a season in school history—after taking two sets from Loyola.

Nine different student-athletes have posted double-digit kill performances so far this year: Ruth Ziegler, Khenedi Guest, Caitlyn Little, Logan Grevengoed, Aida Shadewald, Oliwia Caputa, Ne'Khaela Rogers, Abby Reck, and Hannah Reichensperger—a mark not matched since 2003.

Five different Redbirds have earned All-Tournament Team honors across three early-season tournaments: Aida Shadewald (Most Valuable Player), Arianna Rossi, Ruth Ziegler (Western Michigan Tournament), Logan Grevengoed (Kwik Star Klassic), and Caitlyn Little (Dayton Flyer Invitational).

With eight returning starters from last season plus what is described as "the top-rated recruiting class" ever brought into the program," Illinois State was picked third overall—and had both Aida Shadewald and Khenedi Guest named preseason All-MVC—in this year's preseason coaches poll.

Historically against their upcoming opponents Northern Iowa Panthers and Drake Bulldogs combined ISU holds a record of ten wins to two losses.