Valley teams combined to post an 18-16 record in non-conference matches during the opening weekend of play as volleyball returned to the courts over the weekend. Three teams -- Bradley, UIC and Southern Illinois posted a perfect record during the opening weekend of action. The Braves and Flames each went 3-0 at home, while SIU posted a 2-0 mark at SEMO.
This week’s schedule features 38 matches, including seven matches vs. Power Five opponents and three matches vs. AVCA Top 25 opponents (Belmont at #22 Western Kentucky, Drake at #17 Washington State and UNI at #20 Creighton).
Starting off our new segment 🏐 At The Net 🏐with Connor Onion. Today we sit down with Head Coach Ashlee Pritchard of Indiana State to discuss their win over Alabama State over the past weekend & what the Sycamores look forward to improving upon in this season.
Belmont Bruins
- Belmont concluded the opening weekend of the 2023 season with a 1-2 record at the DoubleTree by Hilton YSU Invitational. The Bruins topped the host Penguins, but dropped matches to Saint Francis and Canisius.
- Sophomore OH Emily Warmenhoven led Belmont with 30 kills. Redshirt Junior MB Kristen Clemons led Belmont with 13 blocks and was named to the YSU All-Tournament Team.
BRADLEY Braves
- Bradley began the season 3-0 in the team's lone home tournament. The Braves swept SIUE on Friday night before taking a 3-1 victory over Eastern Michigan Saturday afternoon, followed by a 3-0 sweep over IUPUI Saturday evening in the CEFCU Invitational. This is the first time since 2015 that the Braves have started 3-0 in a season and it's the first time since 2018 that Bradley has gone 3-0 in a home tournament.
- In the CEFCU Invitational, Bradley won nine out of ten sets played during the tournament, only dropping the second set of the matchup against EMU. After dropping the second set, Bradley would win the next two sets to defeat EMU 3-1 before sweeping IUPUI to close out an undefeated CEFCU Invitational.
DRAKE Bulldogs
- The Bulldogs opened their 2023 season with a challenging weekend at the Flyer Invitational in Dayton, Ohio. Drake battled through their first two matches, both five-set losses to No. 12 Marquette and host Dayton. Drake finished the weekend with another ranked loss to CUSA favorite No. 24 Western Kentucky.
- Taylor Oberpriller was named to the All-Flyer Invitational Team for her performance. The Bulldogs will be on the road again for their next three matches at the Cougar Challenge hosted by Washington State in Pullman, Wash.
EVANSVILLE Purple Aces
- After ranking second in the league in kills last season, Giulia Cardona made a statement in the opening weekend, averaging a league-best 5.25 per set. In the win over Central Michigan, Cardona recorded a career-high 28 kills to lift the Purple Aces to an exciting 5-set victory. In eight sets, Cardona posted 8 service aces, which puts her second in the conference.
- Brooke Springer opened the season with four solo blocks against Southeast Missouri State before adding another versus Central Michigan. Her five solo blocks is tied for the conference lead. Her average of 1.13 blocks per set is tied for 5th in the league.
UIC Flames
- The Flames finished out last weekend 3-0 in their first of two home tournaments, with wins against St. Thomas, Oakland and Lindenwood. Sophomore Ayat Amin led the attack, with 38 kills and 47 total points. Fellow sophomore Francesca Venturini earned a career high in assists, with 29 against the Tommies.
- Venturini and senior Becca Oldendorf led UIC with five service aces a piece, leading the Flames to 21 service aces over the weekend. Averaging 1.91 per set, that is currently ranked fourth in the MVC.
- The Flames remain at home for the second consecutive weekend, hosting SIUE, UAB and Western Michigan for the UIC Invitational. They then end this homestand Tuesday, September 6 when they host Big-Ten's Illinois at 6 p.m.
ILLINOIS STATE Redbirds
- Illinois State is scheduled to travel to Illinois' Huff Hall for the first time since 9/12/09. The 'Birds have not won in Huff Hall since 10/17/84 (lost 10-straight). The Redbirds are also scheduled to battle Northwestern for the first time since 10/12/93.
- Illinois State sophomore middle hitters Hannah Reichensperger and Regan Haith both got off to a strong start despite ISU's 0-3 opening weekend. Reichensperger ranks second on the team with 25 kills and the leads the team with a .304 hitting percentage while Haith is third on the team with 22 kills and holds a .298 hitting clip.
INDIANA STATE Sycamores
- Indiana State served up 12 aces in its four-set win over Alabama State Saturday afternoon. The 12 aces were the most by the Sycamores in head coach Ashlee Pritchard’s tenure in Terre Haute and just the second time since the start of the 2022 season that Indiana State notched double-digit aces in a match. Four different Syamores had multiple aces in the match against the Hornets, with Hannah Baudin and Emma Kaelin each recording three and Karinna Gall and Macy Lengacher having two aces apiece.
- Of Indiana State’s eight new faces on the 2023 roster, five made their Sycamore debut during the opening weekend of play. Three of those five – Hannah Baudin, Ella Scott and Macy Lengacher – started and appeared in all 11 sets for the Sycamores, with Baudin ranking third in the conference in assists and Lengacher ranking 10th in the MVC in digs. Scott also added six kills in each of the last two matches. Madisen Perry appeared in two of the three opening weekend matches, while Kira Holland made her collegiate debut Sunday against Cincinnati.
MISSOURI STATE Bears
- Missouri State emerged from the opening weekend as the MVC leader in opponent hitting percentage (.066) and blocks per set (2.50). The Bears limited Texas A&M-Commerce to a .011 figure in the season opener, the lowest by an opponent since 2018, then improved on that the next day by stifling Texas Southern to -.096, the best by a MoState squad since 2013.
- The Bears won their season opener for the fourth time in five seasons in large part by serving 11 aces against Texas A&M-Commerce. Missouri State’s 11 aces were its most in a three-set match since serving 14 versus Bradley in September 2013.
Murray State Racers
- The Racers opened the weekend with a 2-1 record. The Racers went through two five-set matches, falling to Cleveland State (2-3) before taking their opening-day win over Tennessee State (3-2). The Racers took down Western Illinois (3-1) to wrap up the Leatherneck Classic, Saturday.
- The Racers finished as runners-up of the Leatherneck Classic with Bailey DeMier and Haidi Miliou named Leatherneck Classic All-Tournament Team. Darci Metzger leads the Racers’ offense with 59 kills through the weekend as she gets used to her new position as an outside hitter. Metzger also posted three double-doubles.
- Head Coach Dave Schwepker is one win away from his 400th career win.
UNI Panthers
- Senior outside hitter Emily Holterhaus jumped from ninth to fourth on UNI's all-time attack attempts list with 3,794 attacks. In the process, she passed several notable players in program history, including her head coach Bobbi (Becker) Petersen, Molly O'Brien, Alexandra Auker, Laura Rowen and Bri Weber. Holterhaus also moved up to 12th on the Panthers' all-time kills list with 1,248 terminations.
- Setter Tayler Alden is only 33 assists away from becoming the eighth UNI player to reach 3,000 career assists. The last Panther to surpass 3,000 assists in their career was Rachel Koop (2015-19).
- UNI faces a loaded slate of opponents this coming weekend at the Bluejay Invitational in Omaha, facing off with three teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season (LSU, Ball State, Creighton).
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS Salukis
- Southern Illinois opened the season at the SEMO Invitational with a pair of four-set wins over Central Michigan and Southeast Missouri State for the team’s first 2-0 start since 2016.
- Senior outside hitter Nataly Garcia was named MVP of the tournament, while Anna Jaworski and Imani Hartfield were both named to the All-Tournament team.
- Southern Illinois (2-0) will head to Charleston next weekend for the Charleston Southern Tournament. The Salukis will play three matches over the weekend beginning on Friday, September 1 with a doubleheader at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m against North Carolina A&T and Chattanooga.
VALPARAISO Beacons
- Valpo fifth-year middle Miranda Strongman served out Valpo's sweep of ULM on Saturday with a record-setting run. Strongman served the final seven points of the match, the last six of which included five service aces. The five aces match the most by a Valpo player in the 25-point era in any length match and are tied for fifth-most in a three-set match in any era at Valpo. The last Valpo player to rack up five aces in a single set was Ariel Cudney on Nov. 19, 2010 versus Green Bay in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Tournament.
- Sophomore Emma Hickey made waves last season with her standout play as a rookie at libero, ranking fourth nationally in digs per set while setting Valpo and MVC records for digs by a freshman. But Hickey showed this weekend that she can contribute on the attack as well. Hickey earned a start at outside hitter against ULM and looked right at home offensively, racking up nine kills to tie for match-high honors while hitting at a .412 clip. The sophomore, who did shed the libero jersey for a set at outside hitter last season in the NIVC at Ohio, picked up nine digs defensively as well.