Nov. 28, 1999
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The NCAA announced its field of 64 earlier this evening for the 1999 women's volleyball tournament, and once again that field includes the University of Illinois. The Illini travel to Gainesville, Florida to take on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Thursday, December 2 in first round action.
The NCAA seeds the top 16 teams, all of which host first and second round matches. Illinois, which finished the regular season 16-10 overall and in fourth place in the Big Ten with a record of 12-8, was placed in the East region and travels to the University of Florida, where the #2 seeded Gators will take on Liberty.
The four number one seeds went to Penn State (Central), Pacific (East), Stanford (Pacific), and Hawaii (Mountain). The Big Ten earned the most recognition of any conference in the nation, leading the way with eight teams invited to the tournament. Of all eight schools, only Penn State hosts first and second round matches. Along with the Illini and Penn State, other Big Ten teams invited include Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State, Indiana, and Michigan. All eight Big Ten teams were put into either the Central or East regions.
This is the Illini's 13th appearance in the NCAA tournament and second consecutive. Last season, Illinois hosted its first two matches, posting wins over Southwest Texas State and Colorado and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to eventual 1998 national champion Long Beach State.
Illinois is 17-12 (.586) all-time in tournament play. The Illini have made two appearances in the Final Four (1987 and 1988), losing to Hawaii in the national semifinals each time.
Don Hardin is making his eighth appearance in the tournament as a head coach, and second with the Illini. He made six NCAA appearances (1990-1995) while head coach at Louisville, posting a record of 1-6. He has a 2-1 tournament record while at Illinois.
Five players on Illinois' roster have post-season experience, all stemming from last year's Sweet Sixteen team. They include seniors Melissa Beitz, Tracey Marshall, and Sara Sorrell, junior Betsy Spicer, and sophomore Amber Lindner.
