Sept. 28, 2002

Final Stats

Champaign, Ill. - Illinois rebounded from yesterday's loss to Northwestern to defeat the two-time defending Big Ten Champions and No. 13-ranked Wisconsin Badgers tonight in four games in front of 1,305 fans at Huff Hall. The Illini won by the score of 24-30, 30-25, 30-25, 30-24. With the victory, Illinois improves to 7-4 on the season and 1-1 in the Big Ten, while Wisconsin falls to 10-3 overall and 1-1 in league play.

Illinois held the Badgers offense in check throughout the evening. Wisconsin came into the match ranked sixth in the nation in attack percentage, but the Illini held UW to a season-low .151 hitting. Wisconsin tallied nearly twice as many attack errors as the Illini (38-to-20), while Illinois hit .260 for the match.

Senior setter Betsy Eiserman set a brilliant match for the Illini, recording 56 assists and distributing the ball equally to her hitters, as four Illini tallied double-figures in kills. Illinois' middle attack was the difference in the match, as the duo of junior middle blockers Shelly O'Bryan and Lisa Argabright combined for 29 kills. O'Bryan doubled her previous career high with 16 kills on the evening, hitting a career-best .583. Argabright contributed 13 kills on .357 hitting. Sophomore Jessica Belter and senior Sue Webber chipped in with 11 kills apiece, with Belter tallying a career-high attack percentage of .357 from the left side.

Leading the way for Wisconsin were Lori Rittenhouse (match-high 17 kills) and Erin Byrd (14 kills, match-high 19 digs).

The victory snapped Illinois' five-match losing streak to the Badgers, dating back to the 1999 season. It also marked the Illini's first victory over a Top 20 team since defeating No. 13 Penn State in five games last season.

"This is a huge win for our team," Head Coach Don Hardin said. "It shows we've got players who have a lot of character and are not going to take disappointment lying down. Obviously we weren't happy with what happened against Northwestern, but we responded tonight with a lot of fight and effort, and I think that competitive fire we showed throughout the match was what propelled us to victory."

On hand to witness the victory were members of Illinois' 1992 Big Ten Championship volleyball team that posted a 32-4 record and 19-1 mark in conference play. The Illini volleyball alumni were back in Champaign for a reunion weekend to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of their conference title.