The Illinois State volleyball team hopes to extend its season-high three-match winning streak when it travels to Des Moines, Iowa, and Omaha, Neb., this weekend for key Missouri Valley Conference matches against Drake today and Creighton Saturday.

The Redbirds (12-10, 6-5 in the Valley) are coming off a victory over Evansville Sunday. The win followed victories over Valparaiso and Southern Illinois, giving ISU eight wins in its past 10 matches.

"We are where we want to be right now," said ISU coach Sharon Dingman. "We beat three good volleyball teams last week, and really used our athleticism to overmatch all three of our opponents.

"We thought from the beginning of the season that our athleticism would be what would cause match-up problems for teams. Now, we're combining that athleticism with a much better flow of volleyball, and that has really given our players a lot of confidence."

Illinois State owns a 43-5 all-time advantage over Drake (4-17, 1-9) and has beaten the Bulldogs 21 straight times since 1996. Drake recently snapped a 10-match losing streak by upsetting Creighton.

"Drake is coming off their first Valley win, and they accomplished it against one of the favorites to win the league. So it will be interesting to see their confidence level the next time they take the floor after a big win like that," Dingman said.

Creighton (15-6, 7-3) was tied for the Valley lead for the first five weeks of the league slate before dropping the decision to Drake last weekend. The Bluejays lead the conference in assists (14.94 apg) and kills-per-game (16.40). The duo of Kelly Goc (3.88 kpg) and Amanda Cvejdlik (3.74 kpg) ranks No. 2 and No. 3 in the league statistics.

"It will also be interesting to see what Creighton's mentality will be after the loss to Drake last Saturday," said Dingman. "I'm sure they are champing at the bit to play again. But they (Creighton) have a really solid volleyball team. Kelly Goc is one of the premier middles in the Valley. We will have to contain her as much as possible."