NOTEBOOK (PDF)
Alone at the Top
Loyola remains unbeaten in MVC action after another perfect week of league play, sitting at 6-0. The first-place Ramblers are off to their best start ever in Missouri Valley Conference play and their best start in league action since commencing the 2001 Horizon League campaign with a 7-0 ledger. The Ramblers are approaching a pivotal three-match stretch versus second place UNI and third place Illinois State and Bradley.
Mastering McLeod
Illinois State’s 3-2 victory at UNI on Saturday night was the first for the program since 2016 and gave the host Panthers their first MVC defeat of the season, Illinois State has only won 10 matches all-time on the road against UNI, dating back to 1983. Additionally, the last four wins against the Panthers for the Redbirds have all been five-set victories.
Deja Vu for Bradley
Bradley is currently tied with rival Illinois State for third in the Missouri Valley Conference standings at 4-2. The Braves are in a similar position to last year’s historic 2018 campaign in which Bradley started league play 4-2. Bradley has had back-to-back 4-2 starts to Valley play for the first time since 2003 (4-2) and 2002 (6-0).
Sweeps Upon Sweeps
Saturday’s sweep over Southern Illinois was not only Valpo’s third consecutive win to move back to .500 in MVC play, but also its third straight sweep dating back to last Saturday at Indiana State. This marks just the second time in the last four years that Valpo has swept three consecutive conference opponents. Last season, the Crusaders picked up four straight sweeps against MVC foes Sept. 21-28.
Record Setters
The Valley saw three of the top single match dig totals in the nation over the weekend, including a new league-best mark.
Bradley junior Emma Raleigh tallied a MVC single-match record 48 digs in a win over Drake. Raleigh broke the previous MVC match dig record of 46 set by Missouri State’s Cara Hackmann vs. Evansville on Oct. 10, 2009. Raleigh’s 48 digs were the most in the nation since 2016 and highest dig total in a four-set match in the country dating back to 2008.
Evansville’s Gabriela Macedo recorded a program record 43 digs on Friday against Indiana State. It broke her own program mark of 41, which was set in September against Eastern Illinois. In the same match, Indiana State’s Melina Tedrow earned a school record 44 digs. Tedrow and Macedo are No. 2 and 3 behind Raleigh on the national single match leader board.
On the Board
The Sycamores picked up their first Missouri Valley Conference win of the season on Friday, taking down in-state rival Evansville, 3-1. The victory ended a five-game losing skid for the blue and white and also gave the Sycamores their 10th-consecutive home victory over the Purple Aces.
NCAA RPI Report
The newest edition of the NCAA RPI report for the 2019 season has been released and the Valley has three teams featured in the top-100. UNI leads the league at No. 61, while Illinois State (No. 95) and Loyola (No. 96) are also among the nation’s top-100. Three other teams rank in the Top 175 (Bradley, Valpo and Evansville).
Tough to Kill
Six of the 10 MVC programs currently rank Top 25 nationally in digs per set, including three in the top 10. Bradley leads the nation with 19.94 digs per set, while Indiana State ranks 4th (18.40). Evansville (9th, 17.66), UNI (14th, 17.49), Southern Illinois (19th, 17.31) and Valparaiso (21st, 17.10) round out the teams ranking in the Top 25 nationally.
ATTACK!
The Valley is also heavily representing in team attacks per set among NCAA leaders, occupying five of the top 10 slots. Bradley leads the nation in team attacks per set with 40.75, while Valparaiso sits second nationally (39.92). Evansville currently sits third (39.76), while UNI ranks 5th (39.24) and Indiana State 10th (38.48) nationally.
Battle of Iowa
The Panthers are currently on a 45-match win streak against Drake, dating back to October 1996. UNI will look to continue that streak on Friday in Cedar Falls.
Familiar Faces
MSU interim head coach Manolo Concepcion faces his former team Saturday when Evansville visits Hammons Student Center at 6 p.m. Concepcion served as the Purple Aces’ head coach for six seasons from 2013-2018.
Slanted Series
The Bears have impressive series records against both weekend opponents, with a 67-1 all-time mark against Indiana State and 48-3 record versus Evansville. Those rank as the first- and third-best winning percentages for any MVC opponent against another (minimum 30 meetings), with UNI’s 50-2 mark against Evansville sitting in between. The Bears have also won 53 straight matches against Indiana State, the longest streak in history for one MVC team against another.
This week's Missouri Valley Conference Players of the Week are Loyola's Heather Kocken, Bradley's Emma Raleigh and Illinois State's Emmy Ogogor.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Heather Kocken, Sr., RS, Loyola
Kocken had a big week, officially putting a rough four-match stretch in which she managed just 12 total kills and hit -.033 (12-14-60 behind her. The redshirt senior right side delivered 3.14 kills and 1.43 blocks per set, while hitting a hearty .455 (22-2-44) last week in wins against Southern Illinois and Missouri State that extended Loyola’s win streak to six matches and gave it sole possession of first place. In a 3-1 win versus SIU October 11, Kocken registered 15 kills, her most since September 20, and added seven blocks, which equaled a season high, hitting .452 (15-1-31). She then went for seven kills and three blocks in a sweep of Missouri State that gave Loyola its best start to conference play since 2001
Other Notable Performances: Hannah Thompson (BRAD); Emily Plock (DU); Gabriela Macedo (UE); Sydney Holt (ILS); Melina Tedrow (INS); Karlie Taylor (UNI); Savannah Sheridan (SIU); Peyton McCarthy (VALPO)
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Emma Raleigh, Jr., L, Bradley
Raleigh helped anchor a Bradley defense which averaged 26.62 digs per set in two road matches, by averaging an impressive 8.75 digs per set. She also served up six aces (0.75 per set) and averaged 1.38 assists per set for the week. Raleigh tied for match-high honors with 22 digs in addition to tallying eight assists and two aces in Friday’s four-set match at UNI before a record setting performance in Saturday’s four-set win at Drake. She tallied a MVC record 48 digs in the victory against the Bulldogs to break the previous record of 46 digs by Cara Hackmann (Missouri State vs. Evansville) on Oct. 10, 2009, helping Bradley post the best dig total (126) in the country this season. Raleigh’s 48 digs were the most at the NCAA Division I level since 2016 and highest dig total in the country in a four-set match since 2008. Raleigh also served up a career-best four aces in the victory over Drake. She has taken over as Bradley’s libero for the last seven matches, averaging 5.69 digs per set during that stretch and is fourth in the MVC at 5.85 digs per set in league action.
Other Notable Performances: Kylee Macke (DU); Gabriela Macedo (UE); Kaity Weimerskirch (ILS); Melina Tedrow (INS); Maddy Moser (LUC); Alayna Martin (SIU); Rylee Cookerly (VALPO)
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Emmy Ogogor, Fr., MB, Illinois State
Emmy Ogogor turned in the second-best hitting percentage this weekend for the Redbirds, as Illinois State swept Drake and handed UNI its first conference loss of the season. The rookie combined for 16 kills – matching a career-high 13 kills against the Panthers – behind .343 hitting to average 2.00 kills per set. Ogogor had a trio of kills and blocks against the Bulldogs on Friday night, before kicking it up a notch on Saturday. The San Antonio, Texas, native registered her second double-digit kill performance of the season and turned in the fourth highest hitting percentage by a Redbird this season – hitting at a team-high .458 clip. She went without an error until the fifth set against the Panthers, finishing with just a pair in 24 attempts.
Other Notable Performances: Carlee Camlin (BRAD); Maddy Baxter (DU); Kylie Newby (INS); Addie Barnes (LUC); Brooklyn Cink (MSU); Kaylissa Arndofer (UNI); Abi Fitzpatrick (SIU)