Oct. 20, 2000

Box Score

Champaign, Ill. - Playing their first home match in three weeks, the Illini rallied from a two-games-to-one deficit to defeat Northwestern 12-15, 15-2, 10-15,15-6,15-9. Before a crowd of 1,224 at Huff Hall, Illinois pushed its record to 11-9 overall and 2-7 in the Big Ten.

Senior middle blocker Betsy Spicer and sophomore right side hitter Anne Koester did the damage for the Illini, recording 17 and 16 kills, respectively. Spicer's 17 kills were a match high, as the senior hit an incredible .560, with just three errors in her 25 attempts. Sophomore outside hitter Kate Hill, stepping in for the injured Melissa Vandy, held her own with 10 kills and just missed a double-double with nine digs.

"Kate came in under a lot of pressure," Head Coach Don Hardin said. "I thought she did a great job. Anne Koester really got running in the offense. I think Besty Eiserman did a good job of spreading the ball around, but I think Koester could have had even better numbers if she was set more. I'm proud of the way our team is fighting right now."

The Illini have three more matches on their current home stand. They play the sixth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. at Huff Hall.