Sterling native Martin named preseason all-MVC for Illinois State volleyball

Former Sterling High School and current Illinois State senior volleyball standout Kaylee Martin was named to the Missouri Valley Conference preseason all-conference team, the Redbirds announced Wednesday.

Martin has been a first-team all-MVC selection each of the past two seasons. She played in all 34 matches and 132 sets as a junior during the 2019 season, and helped lead the Redbirds (22-12, 12-6) to the MVC Tournament title and an NCAA berth.

Martin slammed a team-high 526 kills – the most by an ISU player since 1996 – to rank 16th in the nation in that stat. Martin was also second on the team with 31 aces, and finished fourth on the team with 72 blocks and fifth on the team with 205 digs.

Kaylee Martin goes up for a kill during Illinois State's annual Red & White Scrimmage on Monday at Redbird Arena in Normal. Martin, a senior from Sterling, is one of several returning players for ISU this season, after the Redbirds won the MVC Tournament last year. She was named a first-team preseason all-conference player by the league's coaches after leading the Redbirds and ranking 16th in the nation with 526 kills last season. (Photo courtesy of ISU Athletics)

Martin was joined on the preseason all-MVC first team by teammates Stef Jankiewicz and Sydney Holt, as the Redbirds were picked to finish second in the MVC behind Northern Iowa in the preseason coaches poll.

Sterling native Martin named preseason all-MVC for Illinois State volleyball

Ty Reynolds