Oct. 12, 2002

Final Stats

Minneapolis, Minn. - Don't count out the Fighting Illini volleyball team. That's the message that was sent tonight by the Illini in Minneapolis, as they fought from behind to defeat the 6th-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers in a thrilling five-game match by the score of 28-30, 30-28, 27-30, 30-22, 15-11. One night after losing a disappointing match at Iowa, the Illini handed conference leader Minnesota its first Big Ten loss of the season. With the victory, Illinois improves to 9-6 overall and 3-3 in Big Ten play, while Minnesota falls to 18-3 on the season and 5-1 in the league. Illinois' win over No. 6 Minnesota is the highest-ranked team that the Illini have beaten in Don Hardin's tenure as UI coach.

"Every game and every point was tooth and nail tonight, and I'm proud of the consistent effort we showed throughout the match and how hard we fought," Hardin said. "Anytime you can beat the number six team in the nation on their court, it's huge for any program. It's so refreshing to see key players like Sue Webber and Melissa Vandrey lead our team with big-time performances. Tonight was not about strategy or execution, it was about heart and determination"

Senior Sue Webber led the Illini with a season-high 22 kills, falling just one kill short of her career high. Webber was unstoppable down the stretch, coming up with one big kill after another in games four and five. She hit a season's-best .463, tallying just three errors in a season-high 41 attempts. Webber recorded the first 20-20 match by a UI player this season, adding a career-high 26 digs.

One night after tallying a season-high 20 kills, junior Melissa Vandrey was effective again, tallying 18 kills against the Gophers. She also finished with a double-double, registering 10 digs. Junior Lisa Argabright hit .375 on the evening, joining Webber and Vandrey in double digits in kills with 14. Argabright also had a sensational night serving, setting a career high with six aces. Senior setter Betsy Eiserman also performed well, setting a season-high 60 assists and recording a season-high 13 digs.

Illinois hit nearly 100 percentage points better than Minnesota, outhitting the Gophers .238-to-.144. The Gophers tallied 39 attack errors in the five games combined compared to 23 for the Illini. One reason for the low hitting by the Gophers was the blocking of the Illini. Illinois dominated Minnesota at the net, outblocking the Gophers 16.5-to-7. The 16.5 blocks are the most by the Illini this season. Argabright led the way, tying her season high with seven blocks. Vandrey, Jessica Belter, and Shelly O'Bryan added five blocks each.

Illinois returns home next weekend to host a pair of matches. The Illini will face Indiana on Friday, Oct. 18 and Ohio State on Saturday, Oct. 19. Both matches begin at 7 p.m. at Huff Hall.