By Bryan Bloodworth
NORMAL – Illinois State’s volleyball team concludes its first half of Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend when it entertains Missouri State and league-leader Wichita State.
The Redbirds, who had won eight straight before losing two of their last three matches, takes a 5-2 league mark and 12-7 overall mark into Friday’s 7 p.m. match against Missouri State. The Bears are 13-7 overall and 4-2 in Valley action.
“Missouri State, right now, is battle-tested,” said ISU coach Melissa Myers. “They were playing three or four five-set matches the first couple of weeks and now they’ve gone 3-0 the last three or four matches. They’re playing very well. They have the returning Missouri Valley Conference player of the year in Lilly Johnson, who’s just a phenomenal player.”
ISU takes on Wichita State at 1 p.m. Sunday, which Myers said will be another good test. The Shockers are 15-6 overall and 6-1 in the conference.
“They’re super efficient right now,” said Myers. “They’re hitting above almost .350 as a team. We’ve got our hands full for sure, but we’re looking forward to it. You want to play teams like this.”
ISU junior middle blocker Jaelyn Keene ranks second in the country in hitting percentage with a .461 mark.
“She’s a fixer,” said Myers. “You put anything up and she’s going to find a way to score. We put her in some tough situations because everybody knows we’re going to try and get her the ball when we’re in systems. What we need to make sure we’re doing is making sure we’re getting more players involved in the offense.”
While Myers admits the recent losses were disappointing, they can be helpful as well.
“I had a coach tell me years ago that you win some and you learn some,” Myers continued. “I think you learn more when you lose, for sure. There are more opportunities in those losses for you to reflect, assess and evaluate. When you have a loss that outcome makes you more reflective and hopefully then will lead to different adjustments and changes.”
Bryan Bloodworth can be reached at [email protected]
