VOLLEYBALL @ ISU

    Volleyball in Normal, IL, has been a big deal for decades. Since 1982, Illinois State Redbirds Volleyball has had 17 NCAA tournament appearances, including two separate runs of 4 consecutive appearances (1982-1985 and 2018-2021). Head Coach Allie Matters coached her third season at Illinois State in 2024, improving on the 2023 campaign. In 2023, ISU finished with an overall record of 12-19 with a 10-8 record in MVC play. The 2024 Volleyball squad finished with an overall record of 17-16 and a conference record of 11-7. Coach Matters loses four seniors from last season’s roster while welcoming four freshmen in the fall. Senior Mekaila Aupiu and Graduate Student Maggie McCrary are among the departing players from the 2024 team. Mekaila was the MVC Setter of the Year and a First Team All Valley team selection, while Maggie was selected to the All Valley Second Team. Their contributions were essential in the improvement of the team and the development of many younger players. Junior Aida Shadewald is returning in the 2025 season as a senior leader on the team. In 2024, Aida was named to the First Team All-Valley Team for the second consecutive year. Sophomore Caitlyn Little, who was second for the Redbirds in kills and kills per set, had a career high of 21 kills at UIC. Freshman Khenedi Guest was an All-Valley Freshman Team member who was named MVC Freshman of the Year. Additionally, Hannah Reichensperger is returning after battling injuries in 2024 that limited her time on the court to only 15 matches and 47 sets.  In 2024, she had 10 blocks at home against Bradley, while in her breakout sophomore season, she led the team in blocks with 84 and had a career-high 18 kills at Murray State.  The combination of experienced players and new talent will make the 2025 squad competitive in the MVC. 

    Coach Matters is a proven winner at the Division 1 level. At Wright State, she made the NCAA Tournament twice, won two Horizon League regular season titles, and won the Horizon League tournament once. In 2019, she was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year after going 24-4 in the regular season and 11-0 at home and winning the Horizon League Championship, the first regular-season conference championship in school history. In the spring of 2021, Coach Matters and Wright State swept Samford in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, which was initially scheduled for the fall of 2020 but was postponed because of COVID restrictions.  After the historic NCAA Tournament run, Coach Matters was named the AVCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year.  The 2021 Wright State volleyball team finished with an impressive record of 23-8 and led the NCAA in digs and digs per set.  Coach Matters has a proven track record of developing and transforming programs, particularly at Wright State, which went from being at the bottom to the top of the league. 

    

    The best thing we can do as a community to support Redbird volleyball is buy tickets and contribute to the Weisbecker Athletic Fund and Empower the Nest (NIL). This is as direct a way as possible to create an attractive and sustainable program at Illinois State University.  Trust the process and RDB!