By ISU Sports Information
NORMAL – Illinois State head volleyball coach Melissa Myers announced her team’s 2016 schedule Wednesday.
The schedule includes stops at four early-season tournaments, all before a full Missouri Valley Conference slate of matches. The Redbirds will play 11 matches against teams that competed in the NCAA Tournament in 2015, accounting for over one-third of the team’s matches in 2016.
“Our schedule this fall will definitely be an exciting challenge for the team. Not only is our non-conference schedule packed with great opponents, but the Valley will be exceptionally competitive this season as well,” Myers said. “The 2015 title was tightly contested and with only four seniors graduating from the all-conference teams a year ago, the Valley will be more experienced.”
Illinois State will begin the season in Los Angeles, California, at the Loyola Marymount Invitational, where the Redbirds will take on host Loyola Marymount, UCLA and Niagara. Loyola Marymount and UCLA both advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament last year.
Illinois State will host its home opener Aug. 31 when it welcomes Saint Louis to Redbird Arena for a non-conference match.
The Redbirds will then travel for three-consecutive weekends, with tournaments in Columbia, Missouri, Murfreesboro, Tennessee and Cedar Falls, Iowa. Illinois State will face Miami, Rice and Utah at the Tiger Invitational, Sept. 2-3. The Redbirds will take on host Middle Tennessee State, Seton Hall and Tennessee Tech at the Blue Raider Bash, Sept. 9-10.
At the Northern Iowa Invitational, Sept. 16-17, the Redbirds will face the host Panthers on Sept. 16, in the Valley opener for both squads. Illinois State will take on Syracuse and North Dakota State the following day to finish out the tournament and the non-conference portion of its schedule.
The Redbirds will host their first conference matches the following weekend when in-state foes Loyola and Bradley visit Redbird Arena, Sept. 23-24.
Illinois State will conclude the regular-season with matches against Northern Iowa and Drake, Nov. 18-19 at Redbird Arena, before heading back to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for the MVC Tournament, Nov. 24-26.
Tickets for Illinois State home matches can be purchased online at GoRedbirds.com/Tickets, or by calling the Illinois State Athletics Ticket Office at (309) 438-8000.
The Illinois State volleyball team posted a record of 22-10 last fall, marking the program’s first back-to-back 20-win seasons in nearly 20 years.
