Box Score

No. 1 Illinois State 3, No. 6 Loyola Chicago 1

NORMAL, IL - Top seed Illinois State topped No. 6 seed Loyola 3-1 Saturday to claim the program's 12th MVC tournament championship.  The Redbirds now stand 6-0 in MVC finals held in Normal, also winning on their home court in 1997, 1992, 1989, 1988 and 1983. 

Kaylee Martin had a team-high 16 kills and 10 digs, registering her second double-double of the tournament.  Sydney Holt hit .565 with 14 kills and four blocks.  Stef Jankiewicz added 39 assists and 10 digs for her second double-double in the tourney. 

Sarah Murczek led the Ramblers in the loss with nine kills and 16 digs, nearly missing her third-straight double-double.  Elle Van Grinsven added eight kills in the loss, while Taylor Venuto had 11 kills with six blocks. 

The last time any host school won the MVC Tournament was Wichita State in 2013.

Illinois State boasts the top winning percentage in MVC Tournament title matches, improving to 12-5 (.706) in championship appearances.

The Redbirds become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Wichita State won the 2015 and 2016 tournaments. 

The NCAA will announce the volleyball tournament field of 48 at 3 PM (CST) on ESPNU Sunday afternoon.  Illinois State earned the league’s automatic bid and is riding a nine-match win streak entering the NCAA Tournament, dropping only three sets during that streak. The Redbirds will be making their third-straight NCAA appearance and 16th overall in program history. 

MVC All-Tournament Team
Illinois State’s Kaylee Martin was named the 2020-21 Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament Most Valuable Player, after leading the Redbirds to their 12th MVC Tournament title and the league's automatic NCAA Tournament berth. It was the first MVC Tournament MVP honor for Martin. The Redbirds won the tournament following a 3-0 victory over Indiana State in the quarterfinals, a 3-1 win over Bradley in the semifinal match and a 3-1 win over Loyola Chicago in the final. The 10-member All-Tournament team is listed below:
 
All-Tourney Team
Madeline Williams, Indiana State
Emily Plock, Drake
Teagan Polcovich, Missouri State
Hannah Thompson, Bradley
Baylee Petersen, UNI
Elle Van Grinsven, Loyola
Taylor Venuto, Loyola
Stef Jankiewicz, Illinois State
Sydney Holt, Illinois State
Kaylee Martin, Illinois State (MVP)
 
Elite -17
Sarah Kushner, Illinois State (4.00 GPA in Health Promotion Education)