Sept. 18, 2007
Complete Match Notes in PDF Format
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No. 9 Wisconsin at Illinois
Wednesday, September 19, 7 p.m., Huff Hall, Champaign, Ill.
TV: Big Ten Network (Dave Loane & Elizabeth Moreau)
Radio: Illini Sports Network (Brian Moline & Kelly Scherr)
Illinois at No. 10 Michigan
Friday, September 21, 6 p.m. CT, Cliff Keen Arena, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Radio: Illini Sports Network (Dave Loane & Mike Koon)
ILLINOIS AT AT GLANCE
Illini open Big Ten vs. top 10 teams
Illinois opens Big Ten play this week against two of the nation's top 10 ranked teams -- No. 9 Wisconsin (Wednesday) and at No. 10 Michigan (Friday). The Badgers and Wolverines are a combined 20-1 overall.
Illinois narrowly misses 10-0 start
With as many as four freshmen in the regular rotation, the Illini are a few swings away from an undefeated non-conference slate. The two losses were to teams currently ranked in the top 25 -- No. 18 Dayton and No. 22 LSU and both matches were in five games.
• The Dayton match was especially close as the Illini had two match points in game four vs. the host Flyers. Dayton rebounded to take game four 31-29 and the match in five games.
• Illinois had LSU on the ropes, before the Tigers rebounded to win in five games. In that match, the Illini bested the favored Tigers in every statistical category - attack percentage (.237-.205), kills (68-62), digs (72-65) and blocks (14-12).
Non-conference records during the Don Hardin era
2007 -- 8-2
2006 -- 9-1
2005 -- 9-2
2004 -- 8-1
2003 -- 9-1
2002 -- 6-3
2001 -- 8-2
2000 -- 9-2
1999 -- 4-2
1998 -- 7-3
1997 -- 9-1
1996 -- 5-3
Don Hardin wins 200th at Illinois
Illinois head coach Don Hardin entered this season -- his 12th at Illinois -- with exactly 192 wins at both Louisville and Illinois. Saturday's win over Toledo was his 200th at Illinois and 392nd overall. His record now stands at 200-143 at Illinois and 392-219 overall.
Milestone wins
1 -- 8/29/88, Louisville 3, W. Kent. 1
100 -- 10/17/92, Louisville 3, Tulane 0
200 -- 10/12/96, Illinois 3, Indiana 1
300 -- 9/14/02, Illinois 3, UConn 0
1 at Illinois -- 9/2/96 Illinois 3, ISU 1
100 at Illinois -- 11/14/01, Illinois 3, Indiana 1
200 at Illinois -- 9/15/07, Illinois 3, Toledo 1
Big Ten posts signature wins
The Big Ten looks as tough as ever with every team over .500 during the non-conference season. Three teams are ranked in the top 10 -- Penn State (3), Wisconsin (9) and Michigan (10) while Minnesota (12) and Ohio State (23) are also in the top 25. Purdue has been ranked this year as well.
Big Ten signature wins (current ranking)
No. 10 Michigan 3, No. 13 Hawaii 2
No. 3 Penn State 3, No. 7 Texas 1
No. 3 Penn State 3, No. 7 Texas 1
No. 12 Minnesota 3, No. 15 USD 1
Purdue 3, No. 24 Oregon 1
• Penn State took No. 2 Stanford to five games.
• Ohio State took No. 4 USC to five games.
• Illinois has taken No. 18 Dayton and No. 22 LSU to five games.
• Iowa has taken No. 17 BYU and No. 22 LSU to five games
Laura DeBruler having quite the freshman season
Freshman
Laura DeBruler is off to a fast start this season
• With 174 kills, she is on pace for 522, which would be the fifth most in school history.
• She has three matches with at least 20 kills, including 28 and 21 in her first two matches.
• She has three double-doubles, including a season-high 13 digs vs. Toledo
• She has hit over .300 four times, including a .472 clip vs. Southern Illinois.
• She ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 4.70 kills per game.
Bangert also shining
Not to be overlooked has been the play of freshman middle Johannah Bangert. The Washington, Mo., native is fourth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage at .421. She had 11 kills in 17 swings (.588) in her Illinois debut and 13 kills in 17 swings (.765) vs. TAMUCC.
Barbecue rescheduled
The student barbecue, which was rained out on Sept. 7, has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 19. Students are invited to the free event in the parking lot east of Huff Hall from 5:30-6:45 p.m. or whenever the food is gone. They are then invited inside Huff to see the Illini tackle No. 9 Wisconsin
Illinois vs. top 10 teams
Illinois' last victory against a Top 10 team was Oct. 23, 2004, a 3-0 victory over No. 7 Ohio State. The Illini were ranked 24th.
• Illinois defeated two Top 10 teams that year with a win over No. 1 USC on Sept. 11.
• Illinois has two other wins over Top 10 teams under Don Hardin, both coming while the Illini were unranked -- 3-2 at No. 6 Minnesota (10/12/02) and 3-2 over No. 7 Texas (9/12/98).
• The last time Illinois beat two Top 10 teams in the same week was 1995, when the Illini defeated No. 8 Penn State and No. 9 Ohio State.
Wisconsin-Illinois series notes
• Illinois leads the all-time series 37-26-1. The Badgers are on a four-match win streak. The last Illinois victory came Nov. 5, 2004, a 3-0 sweep. That ended a streak of four Illini victories in six matches vs. Wisconsin.
• Wisconsin comes into the match No. 9 in the nation with only one loss -- to No. 17 BYU.
Huff Hall to play host to Big Ten Network's first volleyball match
Illinois will appear on the Big Ten Network three times this fall. The Illini will face one of the Big Ten's top teams on national TV in two weeks. Illinois will host BTN's first live volleyball telecast Sept. 19 as the Illini play meet No. 10 Wisconsin in the Big Ten opener for both teams. The Oct. 8 match with nationally-ranked Purdue and the Nov. 7 rematch with the Badgers in Madison is also on tap.
Loane added to Big Ten Network team
Award-winning veteran broadcaster Dave Loane has been added to the Big Ten Network announcing team. Loane, who is in his 20th season as the radio play-by-play voice of the Fighting Illini, will team with Elizabeth Moreau for the first ever Big Ten Network broadcast Sept. 19.
Injury update
• Sophomore outside hitter Kylie McCulley is out for another two weeks due to a stress fracture in her foot.
• Redshirt junior Kayani Turner is still suffering from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy and has not played this season.
Alde returns with a vengeance
Stefanie Alde missed two matches in the State Farm Illini Classic with recurring back problems. She returned last week with two impressive performances on the right side. The senior transfer from Northwestern had 13 kills while hitting .500 vs. Southern Illinois and 15 kills while hitting .440 at Toledo.
• Alde has hit at least .400 in five of the eight matches she has played, including .538 at Dayton and .526 at Rice.
Brown tearing it up
Senior middle blocker Vicki Brown has played well in 2007. She is hitting .421 with 124 kills. She ranks fifth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage.
• In the past three matches Brown has 43 kills with a .466 attack percentage combined.
• Brown has been named to seven straight all-tournament teams dating back to 2005. She has been MVP of three of those, including the last two State Farm Illini Classics.
• Brown has double digits in kills in eight of the ten matches this season, including 19 at Dayton.
Brown plays for USA A2 team
Vicki Brown played for one of two USA Volleyball teams at the USA Open Volleyball Championships May 26-29 in Austin, Texas.
The 20 players who made the cut for the USA Volleyball A2 program divided into two 10-member teams and played 11 matches over four days. The USA Red team, which Brown played for, finished second in the tourney behind the Westwood Volleyball Club of Los Angeles. USA Red met Westwood three times during the tournament, splitting 3-1 decisions before Westwood won in a one-game playoff 25-19. The USA Red team went 9-2 overall for the tournament.
Brown was among 110 players that participated in an open tryout in February. The teams were announced in March.
Vicki Brown named Pre-season All-Big Ten:
Illinois senior Vicki Brown has been named First Team All-Big Ten by the coaches.
Brown was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Selection last season after ranking second on the Illini with 352 kills and leading the club with a .324 attack percentage.
Networkers plan Family FunFest
The Networkers, the booster club for Illinois volleyball, will sponsor a Family Fun Fest event on Sunday, Sept. 23 from 2-4 p.m. at Huff Hall.
The event is targeted at families and kids but all fans are welcome. Young fans will have an opportunity to interact and get pictures and autographs with their favorite players. They will be able to test their skills at several stations - including passing and serving. Fans will get an opportunity to watch the 2006 highlight video as well. The event is free to the public.
Bazzetta, Haen battle at setter
Freshman Hillary Haen, one of the nation's top three high school setters in 2006, enrolled at Illinois in January and practiced with the Illini last spring. Haen and incumbent Lizzie Bazzetta had a spirited battle for that position.
• During the first two weeks of the season, Illinois played a 6-2 with both setters in the rotation. Bazzetta has been used exclusively the two last weeks with the exception of game three vs. SIU when Haen had 11 assists at setter.
• Bazzetta has played some of her best volleyball this season with three double-doubles and a season-best 61 assists at Toledo. She has distributed the ball nicely. Of the 588 kills this season, 199 have come from the middles, 100 have come from the right side hitters and 280 have come from the left side.
Bazzetta one in a long line of Illinois alums
Lizzie Bazzeta follows sister, Kathleen, a four-year regular at defensive specialist, to Illinois. Aunts Kathleen and Eileen Gartland played volleyball for the Illini in the 1970s. Parents Bob and Mary Jean Bazzetta and several family members also attended Illinois. Each year the family has a reunion in conjunction with an Illinois volleyball match.
Illinois recruiting class ranked sixth nationally
The Illinois freshman class is one of the most celebrated in recent memory. The group includes three of the top 50 and five of the top 100 players from last year's class according to prepvolleyball.com. The site lists Illinois' class as No. 6 in the nation.
1. Stanford
2. Texas
3. USC
4. Minnesota
5. Nebraska
6. Illinois
7. Purdue
8. Kentucky
9. UCLA
10. Ohio State
11. Penn State
12. Florida
13. Arizona
14. Colorado State
15. Michigan
16. Ohio
17. San Diego
18. Santa Clara
19. Hawaii
20. Northwestern
Prepvolleyball.com listed the following Illinois freshman in their top 100 seniors last year:
23. Hillary Haen
30. Laura DeBruler
46. Johannah Bangert
78. Nicole Kump
97. Abby Nelson
Illinois-Michigan Series Notes
• Illinois leads the all-time series 35-17. The Wolverines won both matches last year. Prior to that the Illini had won seven of the previous 10 matches.
• Last season's match at Huff Hall saw games one and two go overtime before the Wolverines prevailed 34-32 and 32-30. Illinois Vicki Brown and Michigan's Katie Brudzinski provided the firepower. Brown had 18 kills and hit .387. Brudzinski had 17 kills and hit .324.
• The Wolverines are ranked in the Top 10 for the first time in school history. The previous highest ranking before this season was 18th on Sept. 27, 1999.
Illinois wins 24th Annual State Farm Illini Classic
Illinois won its 17th State Farm Illini Classic title in the tournament's 24 years with victories over Marquette (3-0) and Creighton (3-1). Senior Vicki Brown was named to her seventh straight All-Tournament team and was named MVP of the Illini Classic for the second straight season. Brown tallied 27 kills while hitting .362 for the weekend.
Freshman Laura DeBruler and junior setter Lizzie Bazzetta were also named to the All-Tournament team. DeBruler had 19 kills vs. Marquette while hitting .381 and added 18 kills vs. Creighton. Bazzetta had a double double with 45 assists and 13 digs vs. Creighton and engineered an Illinois offense that hit .268 vs. Marquette.
Edinger, Brown named All-Tournament at Rice
Ashley Edinger and Vicki Brown were each named to the All-Tournament Team at the Mizuno Invitational II hosted by Rice University.
Edinger had a career-high 32 digs in the Illini's near upset of LSU and finished the tournament with 64 digs (5.82 dpg), two aces, 13 assists and a .974 reception. That was the third career all-tournament selection for the sophomore libero.
Brown was named to the all-tournament team for the sixth straight time dating back to 2005. Brown had 37 kills and hit a combined .438. She had nine blocks vs. LSU and 20 in 11 games for the tournament.
Illini Notes from Dayton Flyer Classic
• Vicki Brown and Laura DeBruler were named to the All-Tournament Team. Brown had 33 kills while hitting .397 in three matches, including 19 kills in the championship match.
• Freshman Johannah Bangert hit .413 with 24 kills for the weekend while freshman Hillary Haen (66 assists) shared the setting duties with junior Lizzie Bazzetta (94 assists). Bangert had 11 kills while hitting .588 in her debut match.
• Illinois had two match points in game four, leading host Dayton 29-27, but the Flyers scored the final four points.
