2016 Volleyball Media Guide WORKING.Indd
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Redbird Volleyball Quick Facts / Table of Contents QUICK FACTS INTERVIEWS Courtney Pence .......................................16-17 Institution ........................... Illinois State University Please arrange interviews at least 24 hours prior to Ratasha Garbes .......................................18-19 Location ................................................ Normal, Ill. the requested interview. The Illinois State Athletics Annchara Montgomery ............................20-21 Founded ........................................................ 1857 Communications staff does not distribute student- Ella Francis ..............................................22-23 Enrollment .................................................. 20,807 athletes’ phone numbers and student-athletes have Jacqueline Twing .....................................24-25 Nickname .................................................Redbirds been instructed only to grant interviews coordinated Megan Buetke ..........................................26-27 Colors ................................................ Red & White by the Athletics Communications staff. Jordan Weatherless .................................28-29 Mascot .......................................... Reggie Redbird Aly Dawson ..............................................30-31 Affi liation .......................................NCAA Division I SOCIAL MEDIA Elianna Lovejoy .......................................32-33 Conference .....................................Missouri Valley To stay up-to-date with Redbird volleyball during the Lexi Wallen ..............................................34-35 Facility ............................................ Redbird Arena year, make sure to follow Illinois State Athletics and Monica Miller ............................................36-37 University President ........................Dr. Larry Dietz ISU Volleyball on Twitter via @ISURedbirds and Lexi Varga ................................................38-39 Director of Athletics ..............................Larry Lyons @RedbirdVB. In addition, follow ISU Athletics on Coaching Staff ..................................................40-47 Facebook and Instagram. Melissa Myers ..........................................40-41 TEAM INFORMATION Eric Plunkett .............................................42-43 2015 Record .................................................22-10 GOREDBIRDS.COM Peter Netisingha ......................................44-45 2015 MVC Record/Finish ......................12-6/T-4th The latest, offi cial information on 2016 Illinois 2015 Season Review ........................................46-47 Home ...............................................................11-1 State volleyball is available at GoRedbirds.com. Series Records ......................................................48 Away ................................................................. 6-7 Log on for complete media services, including Series History ...................................................49-55 Neutral .............................................................. 5-2 statistics, rosters, bios, schedules, live video press Record Book .....................................................56-79 Postseason ....................................................None conferences, quotes and more. Year-by-Year Breakdown ..............................57 Letterwinners Returning/Lost ...........................11/5 Redbird Alumni in ISU Athletics HOF ............57 Starters Returning/Lost (including libero) ......... 6/1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Year-by-Year Results ...............................58-66 Redbird Arena ......................................................4-5 All-Time Letter-Winners ................................67 PROGRAM INFORMATION The Valley ................................................................6 Redbird Honor Roll .......................................68 First Year of Volleyball ................................... 1973 2016 Season Preview .........................................7-10 Annual Leaders .............................................69 All-Time Record ...........................1,043-528 (.664) Alphabetical & Numerical Rosters ..................8 Redbird Arena Records ...........................70-71 Years in the NCAA Tournament ...... 13 (last: 2014) Season Preview ..............................................9 Match Records .........................................72-73 MVC/Gateway Regular-Season Titles ...8 (last: 2014) TV & Radio Roster ........................................10 Season Records ......................................74-75 MVC/Gateway Tournament Titles ... 10 (last: 2014) Meet the Redbirds ............................................11-39 Career Records .......................................76-77 MVC/Gateway Players of the Year ... 8 (last: 2014) Ali Line .....................................................12-13 By-Class Records ....................................78-79 All-Americans ...................................................... 5 Jaelyn Keene ...........................................14-15 VOLLEYBALL STAFF Head Coach ................Melissa Myers (Juniata ’98) Record at ISU ............ 312-91 (ninth season) Career Record ........... 290-150 (14 seasons) Associate Head Coach ....Eric Plunkett (Cal. Baptist ’08) Assistant Coach......Peter Netisingha (Wisconsin ’12) Director of Volleyball Operations .....Karlee Lursen Athletic Trainer ..................................Megan Smith Student Managers .......Nick Mason, Pat Misiewicz Equipment Manager ....................... Steve Pankow Strength & Conditioning Coach ....... Ryan Swenson Academic Advisor ................................Julie Paska Academic Coordinator ................Mario Donaldson ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS Volleyball Contact ..................................Matt Wing Email .................................... [email protected] Offi ce .......................................(309) 438-3279 Cell...........................................(309) 530-0538 Secondary Contact/Broadcaster .... Mary Lee Gibson Email [email protected] Offi ce Phone ............................(309) 438-5746 Cell Phone ...............................(773) 320-2981 2016 Illinois State Volleyball 3 Redbird Arena A cornerstone for the Illinois State Athletics program is beautiful Redbird Arena, which opened in 1989. The home of Red- bird basketball and volleyball, the facility also houses the Owen Strength and Conditioning Center and athletic administra- tion offi ces. Many praise the arena, with a capacity of 10,200, for its excellent design, as the furthest seat from the fl oor is just 220 feet away. The Champaign News-Gazette labeled Redbird Arena as “The Best Basketball Arena in the State.” On Feb. 3, 2007, the court in Redbird Arena was named “Doug Collins Court” after legendary player, coach, Olympian and broadcaster Doug Collins, who starred at Illinois State from 1971-73. On Aug. 24, 2012, the Illinois State Athletics Department unveiled a brand-new Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. It is the fi rst time the court has been replaced since the arena was built. 4 2016 Illinois State Volleyball Redbird Arena Memorable Moments at Redbird Arena Nov. 22, 2014: The Redbirds earned a 3-0 win over Wichita State to complete an undefeated season in Missouri Valley Conference play. ISU won its fi rst regular-season league title in 17 years and became just the third school to post an undefeated season in Valley play. The Redbirds went on to win the MVC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s second round. Sept. 11, 2002: ISU drew its largest crowd of 5,641, while facing nationally-ranked Stanford. The Bloomington-Normal community fi lled Redbird Arena to watch Stanford sophomore Oganna Nnamani. The Bloomington, Illinois, native attended University High School, and later went on to compete for the USA National Team, where she participated in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. Nov. 22, 1997: With a straight-set sweep against Northern Iowa, Illinois State won the MVC Tournament title and earned its 10th trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Redbirds won back-to-back regular-season and tournament championships in 1996 and 1997. May 1995: The USA Women’s National Team played an exhibition game against the Brazilian Women’s National Team to prepare for the 1996 Olympic Games. Dec. 4, 1992: ISU defeated the Houston Cougars in the fi rst NCAA Tournament match played at Redbird Arena, in front of 2,600 fans. Sept. 5, 1989: The Redbirds crushed Northwestern in three sets (15-3,15-5,15-9) in the fi rst volleyball match played at Redbird Arena. 2016 Illinois State Volleyball 5 The Valley BRADLEY • DRAKE • EVANSVILLE • ILLINOIS STATE • INDIANA STATE • LOYOLA • MISSOURI STATE • NORTHERN IOWA • SOUTHERN ILLINOIS • WICHITA STATE The Missouri Valley Conference continues to be a leader in college athletics and is one of the nation’s most pro- gressive conferences. Members of the second-oldest NCAA Division I conference work together to focus on com- mon goals and objectives, putting a high value on league harmony, while continuing to invest in athletic programs competing at the highest level. Entering its 110th season of athletic competition in 2016-17, the Valley brand is strong, both regionally and nation- ally, and the great athletic tradition of the Valley remains a compelling force in recruiting student-athletes and in marketing all MVC programs. The Valley, based in St. Louis, has ranked as one of the nation’s