Photo courtesy of Illinois State Athletics. The title ‘back-to-back Missouri Valley Champions’ has a good ring to it. Fans better get used to it as the Illinois State volleyball team will now have that as their new moniker. That new label did not come without adversity, postponements, and empty arenas. The 2021 MVC title will mean something different than any other has before. “You have adversity every year, but this year is unique.” Johnson […]
Photo courtesy of goredbirds.com NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State volleyball team secured its third sweep of the season, defeating the Evansville Purple Aces 3-0. The win extends ISU's winning streak to four, now holding a record of 11-5 overall, with a 9-3 conference record. With the win, they are also now the number one seed in the Missouri Valley Conference. Leading the way in the Redbirds' victory was senior […]
Image courtesy of goredbirds.com NORMAL Ill.- The Illinois State Redbirds Volleyball team beat Valparaiso 3 sets to 1. Taking sets 1, 3, and 4. Led by Kaylee Martin with eighteen kills. Stef Jankiewicz led the team with forty-eight assists. The team received a spark with the return of Sydney Holt back after missing over a month from an injury. In her return, holt recorded eleven kills, an assist and 2 […]
Photo courtesy of Illinois State Athletics After a five-set battle on Sunday that Illinois State stood tall in, the after-effects may have exhausted a few Redbirds heading into Monday's encounter with the Indiana State Sycamores. Failing to secure a sweep of their Missouri Valley counterpart, the Sycamores figured the Redbirds out in four sets. Suffering their first loss to the Sycamores since 2013, under head coach Leah Johnson, the Redbirds […]
NORMAL - For the fourth straight game, Illinois State (13-7, 6-2 MVC) found themselves in the win column after defeating Valparaiso (8-13, 3-4 MVC) in four sets Saturday night. Junior Kaylee Martin started the scoring for ISU with a kill to open the first set, but it was a back and forth effort from both teams. After seven ties and five lead changes, the Crusaders found themselves with a 13-11 […]
(Photo courtesy of Nick Imparo) NORMAL - When the announcement that The Redbird Classic was coming to Redbird Arena was made, Illinois State Volleyball Head Coach Leah Johnson was excited for the opportunity to showcase premier volleyball in front of Redbird fans. Days before the Classic, Johnson said she was looking for her team to get a ‘significant win’. With the Redbird Classic in the books and a winner crowned, […]
The 2019 Redbird Volleyball Team (Photo Courtesy Anthony Ferretti/WZND). NORMAL – Competition and Drive: that's Redbird Volleyball's mindset heading into the upcoming season with a young but determined squad. Head Coach Leah Johnson helped lead the program to a 25-8 record in her second season at the helm of the Redbirds. Those 25 wins helped them earn a regular season conference championship and an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament. […]
