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Missouri Valley Conference: Sycamore Volleyball To Meet Wichita State In Opening Round
Indiana State, Wichita State To Meet In Tournament First Round
Sycamores open tournament action at 6 p.m. (ET) on Thanksgiving Day
TERRE HAUTE, IND. – The Indiana State Sycamores will continue their remarkable season this week as they end a seven year drought by playing in the 2011 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament this week in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Indiana State is the sixth seed and will play third seeded Wichita State at 5 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals.
Indiana State, 14-16 overall, closed out the regular season with a close, hard-fought loss at home to Wichita State (19-9) Saturday night. The Sycamores did have six Valley wins heading into this past weekend’s action which were good enough to earn them the sixth seed in the upcoming tournament.
After another competitive regular-season slate, the 2011 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Championship field is set as tournament seeds came down to Saturday’s final matches of the regular-season. UNI had already locked up the No. 1 seed entering this weekend’s matches, but the Panthers completed their third straight perfect MVC regular-season with a 3-0 win at Southern Illinois.
Missouri State, which had already clinched the No. 2 seed, came back from two sets down to top Illinois State (No. 5 seed). Wichita State was a 3-0 winner over Indiana State (No. 6 seed), making the Shockers the No. 3 seed, while Creighton took down Drake to lock up the No. 4 seed. Evansville, a 3-1 winner over Bradley, spoiled the Braves chances at the final spot in next week’s tournament.
The State Farm MVC Volleyball Championship will get underway when No. 3 Wichita State takes on No. 6 Indiana State in the tournament opener on Thursday, Nov. 24, at 5:00 p.m., followed by No. 4 Creighton vs. No. 5 Illinois State at 7:30 p.m. The game one winner between WSU/INS will take on No. 2 Missouri State on Friday evening at 5:00 p.m. in the first semifinal while the CU/ILS winner will face host and No. 1 UNI in the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Semifinal winners will face off for the Missouri Valley Conference automatic berth into the NCAA Volleyball Championship on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 6:37 p.m.
Both opening round and semifinal matches are available on MVC Live - the league's video-streaming package, while the championship contest on Saturday will be televised live on Fox Sports Midwest at 6:37 p.m.
Final MVC Regular-Season Standings
No. 1 UNI (18-0 MVC)
No. 2 Missouri State (15-3 MVC)
No. 3 Wichita State (13-5 MVC)
No. 4 Creighton (12-6 MVC)
No. 5 Illinois State (9-9 MVC)
No. 6 Indiana State (6-12 MVC)
Thursday, Nov. 24
5 p.m. – No. 3 WSU vs. No. 6 INS
7:30 p.m. – No. 4 CU vs. No. 5 ILS
Friday, Nov. 25
5 p.m. – No. 2 Missouri State vs. Winner of WSU/INS
INDIANA STATE VOLLEYBALL WORKING HARD IN PREPARATION OF SEASON OPENER
Sycamores to host two tournaments in the ISU Arena to open 2011 campaign
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The 2011 version of the Indiana State University women’s volleyball team is midway through the second week of two-a-day practices as they prepare for the opening of the regular season in eight days. The Sycamores will host two tournaments to kick off the season and participate in a tournament at New Hampshire before opening the Missouri Valley Conference season.
“The girls have been working very hard in practice,” Traci Dahl, Indiana State volleyball coach said. “They are focused and have specific goals for the season.”
The team is looking to build on the success of the 2010 squad which opened with the best non-conference start since 1996 and posted their first four-game win streak since 2002. With four starters returning and veteran leadership divided among three seniors, this year’s team has high expectations as they seek their first Missouri Valley Conference tournament appearance since 2004.
Dahl is entering her fourth campaign as the Sycamore head coach and has seen the team improve their level of play especially during the non-conference portion of their schedule. Now it is time to see that improvement in the Missouri Valley Conference.
“We have been able to bring in the type of athletes we need to bring our game up to the next level,” Dahl said. “They have worked hard and it is now time for them to show what they can in the conference season. This year’s team is the best that I have had here and I expect that we will be in contention for a tournament spot at the end of the season.”
Indiana State posted their first back-to-back conference wins and first back-to-back home conference wins since 2004 during the 2010 season.
The Sycamores play in one of the nation’s elite volleyball conferences and the Indiana State team knows that it must play above the net to compete against the conference elite. ISU was picked to finish ninth in a pre-season poll of MVC coaches.
“I think that in order to be respected in the Valley we need to win more games,” Dahl said. “Last season we beat schools that have traditionally defeated us every year. This is something we are going to build off of this season.
“I feel we have a great group of returners who understand what it takes to win,” Dahl said. “Our incoming athletes will compliment the veteran’s work ethic and desire. The team is confident and ready to start the season with the conference tournament on their minds.”
The Sycamores will be led by a trio of seniors who were in Dahl’s first recruiting class at Indiana State including setter Shelbi Fouty (Plainfield, Ind.), libero Kiya James (Indianapolis, Ind.), and middle blocker Stacy Qualizza (Crown Point, Ind.).
Qualizza had an outstanding junior campaign that included setting the sixth best single season attack percentage (.289). She also established the fifth best single game attack percentage (.568) against Evansville on Nov. 5 and the seventh best (.548) against Southern Illinois on Nov. 6. She also had the 10th best single game total of kills with 26 against Evansville on Nov. 5.
The senior is currently in the top 25 of eight career categories including tied for fifth in attack percentage (.262 heading into her final season). She has 645 career kills (21st), 2.20 kills per set (23rd), 148 total blocks (19th), 0.51 blocks per set (24th), 21 block solos (tied for 25th), 127 block assists (19th), and 730.5 points (23rd).
Qualizza finished the 2010 season ranked 238th nationally in hitting percentage (.289).
Fouty split the pre-conference campaign at setter with then freshman Loni Mackinson but took over full-time as the conference season opened. She recorded a season high 62 assists against Drake on Oct. 30 while recording 820 assists during the season. The effort puts her into the top 10 of career assists with 1,083.
The setter also ranks in the top 25 of three other career categories including 3.56 assists per set (11th), 686 digs (24th), and 2.26 digs per set (19th). She finished the 2010 season, her first as a full-time setter, with 7.19 assists per set (20th on the single season list).
Fouty finished the season ranked 240 th nationally in assists per set (7.19).
James is well on her way to becoming one of the best, if not the best, libero in Indiana State history. The senior currently ranks fifth in career digs (1,204) and third in career digs per set (3.60). She recorded 32 digs against Evansville on Nov. 5 (10th best single game performance).
The senior posted 496 digs last season (fifth best single season performance) and 4.35 digs per set (sixth best) which is just behind her sophomore performance of 527 digs (third best) and 4.71 digs per set (fourth best).
James finished the 2010 season ranked 121st nationally in digs per set (4.35).
The junior class also features three players who are making their mark on Indiana State volleyball including outside hitter Morgan Dall (Aviston, Ill.), middle blocker Shea Doran (Martinsville, Ind.), and outside hitter Christie Fullenkamp (Botkins, Ohio).
Dall had a sophomore campaign that at lot of athletes hope for but few realize. The outside hitter recorded eight of the top 25 single game performances in attack attempts including a career high 69 against Evansville on Nov. 5. She also had 25 kills against Drake on Oct. 30 (tied for 15th best single game performance) and seven aces against Appalachian State Sept. 11 (tied for sixth best).
Her 469 kills during the 2010 season is the fourth best single season performance in school history, 4.11 kills per set is also fourth best, and her 1,441 attempts set the school record in attack attempts. She currently ranks 22nd in career kills (624), fourth in kills per set (3.17), 17th in attack attempts (1,868), 25th in points (684.5), and tied for sixth in points per set (3.47).
The junior finished the 2010 season ranked 28th nationally in kills per set (4.11) and 40th in points per set (4.49).
Although not starters both Doran and Fullenkamp have been valuable players on the court. Doran had a career high 10 kills against Drake (Oct. 30) a year ago while posting a career high 11 points in the same game. She currently ranks 15th in career attack percentage (.214). Fullenkamp had a career high 123 kills against Missouri State (Sept. 24) while also posting a career high 13 points in the same game.
The final three returnees come from the sophomore class including setter Loni Mackinson (Pontiac, Ill.), outside hitter Monique Morris (Brown Deer, Wis.), and outside hitter/right side Molly Murphy (Chicago, Ill.).
Mackinson was a dominate setter during the pre-conference season but an injury forced her to miss the Valley schedule. The sophomore posted a career high 47 assists against SIU Edwardsville (Sept. 3) and 19 digs against Akron (Sept. 10). She was averaging 7.58 assists per set when her season was cut short.
Mackinson took her game to another level as she played with the American International Sports Teams (AIST) volleyball squad that represented the United States in a tour of Italy this past summer. Team USA played five Italian teams (finishing 3-2) with Mackinson playing a key role as a setter for the squad.
Morris is a star on the rise for Indiana State. She had a career high nine kills, 20 digs, and 11 points against Southern Illinois (Oct. 8). Murphy played in just two games during her first season as a Sycamore but received the Coaches’ Award for her mental attitude throughout the season.
Five freshman and a sophomore transfer look to provide added depth for the Sycamores during the 2011 campaign. Ashley Owen (Crescent City, Calif.) transferred to Indiana State after playing at American River Community College last season and will be an outside hitter for the Sycamores.
The freshmen include right side hitter Lindsey Barber (Zionsville, Ind.), outside hitter Jessica Bushong (St. Louis, Mo.), middle blocker Samantha Kersting (St. Louis, Mo.), defensive specialist Katie Moon (Terre Haute, Ind.), and middle blocker Kyla Thomas (Indianapolis, Ind.)
The first seven games of the regular season will be played on the home court in the Indiana State University Arena as the Sycamores host two tournaments to open the season. The Quality Inn/ASICS Classic will be played on opening weekend (Aug. 26-27) with Chicago State, Coppin State, Eastern Illinois, and Miami (Ohio) joining the Sycamores for the two-day event.
The tournament will also be known as the Jessica Barkman Memorial Classic and is named in honor of the former ISU volleyball player who was killed in an automobile accident (November 1997) in Texas. Barkman played at Indiana State from 1991 to 1994 when she accumulated 1,039 kills (seventh on the career list). She is a graduate of Seymour High School where she earned Most Valuable Player accolades as a senior in volleyball, basketball, and track.
The Drury Inn/ASICS Volleyball Challenge will be held Sept. 3-4 in the ISU Arena with the Sycamores joined by Savannah State, SIU Edwardsville, and Western Illinois.
The pre-conference schedule wraps up with Indiana State on the road for the New Hampshire Tournament (Durham, NH) to compete against Fairfield, Connecticut, and New Hampshire Sept. 9-10. The Sycamores will also play a non-conference game at Chicago State on Sept. 20 and at home against IUPUI on Nov. 8.
The Missouri Valley Conference schedule begins on the road this year with Indiana State visiting Wichita State (Sept. 16) and Missouri State (Sept. 17) before opening the home Valley campaign against Bradley (Sept. 23) and Northern Iowa (Sept. 24). Other home conference games include Southern Illinois (Oct. 7), Evansville (Oct. 8), Creighton (Oct. 28), Drake (Oct. 29), Illinois State (Nov. 12), Missouri State (Nov. 18), and Wichita State (Nov. 19). The Sycamores will play at Drake (Sept. 30), Creighton (Oct. 1), Illinois State (Oct. 13), Bradley (Oct. 21), Northern Iowa (Oct. 22), Evansville (Nov. 4), and Southern Illinois (Nov. 5).
