Fourth-seeded Redbirds to Open MVC Tournament Play Sunday
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – For the second-straight season, the Illinois State volleyball program is set to take part in the Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament.
The tournament, set for November 23-26, takes place from the campus of UNI.
Illinois State, who earned the No. 4 seed, will have to await the outcome of the opening match on Saturday between No. 5 Bradley and No. 8 Missouri State to find out their opponent for their Sunday, November 24 quarterfinals match, set for 3 p.m.
FOLLOW THE MATCH
To follow the Redbirds, fans can watch the match on ESPN+ or keep up with the team via live stats.
SCOUTING THE BRACKET
The winner of the Illinois State match will take on tournament host, MVC regular season champion, and No. 1 UNI on Monday at 3:00 p.m. in the semifinals for a spot in Tuesday's 4:00 p.m. championship match.
On the opposite side of the bracket, No. 6 Valparaiso and No. 7 Murray State conclude day one of action with a Saturday night match at 6: 00 p.m. The winner moves onto Sunday where No. 3 UIC awaits in the quarterfinals. Then, it will be No. 2 Drake awaiting in the semifinals on Monday for a spot in Tuesday's championship match.
Illinois State is 48-28 overall in the MVC post-season tournament and will be making its 41st MVC tournament appearance in 2024. The Redbirds have won 13 MVC Tournament titles, while collecting five MVC tournament runner-up finishes as well.
REDBIRDS IN THE TOP 10
Senior Mekaila Aupiu enters the weekend leading the nation in assists with 1,289 during the 2024 season. She is the only MVC player, and one of just 14 in the country, with 1,100-plus assists.
As a team, the Redbirds rank first in team assists (1,540) and team kills (1,661) while ranking fourth in team total attacks (4,472) and eighth in team digs (1,993).
BUILDING MOMENTUM
The Redbirds will look to build upon their recent momentum in the upcoming championship, after defeating I-74 foe Bradley on Wednesday for their third consecutive win to close the 2024 regular season.
The win over the Braves secured the four seed for ILS in this year's MVC Tournament.
For all the 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.
Players Mentioned
Players Mentioned
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