Watch LiveNORMAL, Ill. – The IUPUI volleyball team carries the momentum of back-to-back five-set victories into this weekend when it heads to Normal, Ill., for the Country Financial Redbird Classic hosted by Illinois State.
IUPUI opens the tournament with a pair of matches on Friday, Sept. 11, against Toledo and Illinois State at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET, respectively. The Jags then finish the event against Youngstown State at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 12. Friday night's match against the Redbirds will be streamed live on Watch ESPN.
The Jaguars have won four of their last five matches to improve to 5-3 on the season, which includes a come-from-behind, five-set win over Indiana State on Tuesday in Terre Haute, Ind. Things didn't start well for IUPUI against the Sycamores, but it hit its stride late to earn the 3-2 win.
Kaitlyn Hickey,
Skylar Wright and
Logan Walling all were in double-figures in kills, and Walling has been a key part of IUPUI's success in the last five matches averaging 2.13 kps while hitting .382. Walling is performing well at the right time for the Jags as the Normal, Ill.-native will be playing in her hometown for the first time since she played for University High School back in 2012.
Hickey is off to a great start this season and enters the weekend in the Top 5 in The Summit League in five statistical categories – kills, kills per set, digs, service aces and points.
Illinois State is the only other team in the field with a winning record coming in a 4-2, while Youngstown State is 4-4 and Toledo is 1-5 on the young season. IUPUI's opening match against the Rockets will mark its third match in the opening three weeks of the season against teams from the Mid-American Conference. The tournament host Redbirds have won four straight matches after a pair of losses to start the season against Kansas State and Miami (Fla.), and they are led by the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week in Ashley Rosch.
Rosch leads a balanced Redbird attack with 3.50 kps, but as a team Illinois State is hitting an impressive .267 paced by Jaelyn Keene's .438 clip.
The Jags are 5-6 all-time against this week's field, which includes a 2-4 record against the Penguins, a 1-1 record against the Rockets and an 0-1 record against the Redbirds.
