Dec. 9, 2003
Illinois Volleyball NCAA Regional Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
#15 ILLINOIS (26-6, 15-5)
2003 NCAA Tournament
Honolulu, Hawaii Regional
Stan Sheriff Center
Tournament Schedule
Match #1, Dec. 12, 9 p.m. CT
#11 Georgia Tech (33-3) vs. #8 California (25-6)
Match #2, Dec. 12, 11 p.m. CT
#15 Illinois (26-6) vs. #2 Hawai'i (34-1)
Match #3, Dec. 13, 11 p.m. CT
Winner of Match #1 vs. Winner of Match #2
Illinois in the NCAA Tournament
After a one-year absence, Illinois is back in the NCAA Tournament, its fourth postseason trip in the last six years. The Illini earned an at-large bid to the tournament after posting an impressive 24-6 regular season record and tying for second place in the Big Ten Conference with a 15-5 league record. Illinois was one of seven schools from the Big Ten to be named to the field of 64, more than any other conference in the country. Illinois hosted first and second round matches at Huff Hall, marking the 10th time that the Illini hosted NCAA Tournament matches. With a first-round win over Murray State and a second-round victory over No. 19 Louisville, Illinois has improved to 26-6 on the year, its most victories in one season since winning 32 matches in 1992. The Illini have also advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1998.
Illini NCAA History
Illinois is making its 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Illini have compiled a 21-14 (.600) all-time record in the championship. This is the fourth NCAA appearance in the last six years for the Illini under head coach Don Hardin. Illinois advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in 1998 before falling to eventual national champion Long Beach State and made it to the second round in 1999 before dropping a five-game thriller to Florida. Most recently, Illinois advanced to the second round in 2001 before losing in four games to eventual Final Four participant Arizona. Illinois is 16-3 in NCAA home matches and is 5-11 in road and neutral site NCAA matches.
Illinois has advanced through the regional twice, making appearances in the NCAA Final Four in 1987 and 1988 before losing to Hawai'i in the national semifinals each time.
Hardin in the NCAAs
University of Illinois head coach Don Hardin is making his 10th appearance in the NCAA tournament as a head coach. He made six NCAA appearances (1990-95) in his eight years as the head coach at the University of Louisville and has now led Illinois to four NCAA Tournaments. Hardin is 7-9 in NCAA tournament matches, having posted a 1-6 record in matches at Louisville and a 6-3 record at Illinois. As a player, Hardin was a member of two NCAA Final Four teams at Ohio State in 1981 and 1982.
Hardin's Coaching Victories in the NCAA Tournament
1995 Central Florida (3-1) First Round
1998 Southwest Texas State (3-1) First Round
1998 Colorado (3-0) Second Round
1999 Wisconsin-Milwaukee (3-1) First Round
2001 Missouri (3-1) First Round
2003 Murray State (3-0) First Round
2003 Louisville (3-0) Second Round
About Hawai'i
Hawai'i, directed by legendary coach Dave Shoji, is ranked No. 2 in the country with an overall record of 34-1. The only blemish on the season for the Rainbow Wahine was a loss to defending national champion and top-ranked USC. Hawai'i swept its first two opponents in NCAA Tournament play at home, Idaho in the first round and Brigham Young in the second round, to advance to its sixth-straight Sweet Sixteen.
Leading Hawai'i is the nation's top player, senior outside hitter Kim Willoughby. She ranks first in the NCAA in kills, averaging 6.5 kpg. Despite being the Rainbow Wahine's top offensive option and taking 1,270 attempts during the season, Willoughby boasts an attack percentage of .383 on the year. She has also tallied 68 aces while averaging 2.9 digs per game. Senior outside hitter Lily Kahumoku contributes 4.4 kpg and leads Hawai'i in digs, averaging 3.4 dpg.
Illinois vs. Hawai'i - Series History
Illinois is 1-6 all-time vs. Hawai'i. Illinois collected its lone win in the series in 1992 with a 3-0 win at Hawai'i. The two teams most recently met the 1994 season opener, a 3-0 Hawai'i victory.
Illinois and Hawai'i met in the NCAA Tournament Final Four in back-to-back years. Hawai'i defeated Illinois 3-0 in the 1987 national semifinal in Indianapolis, Ind. and 3-1 in the 1988 national semifinal in Minneapolis, Minn.
About Georgia Tech
11th-ranked and seventh-seeded Georgia Tech is 33-3 overall. Tech's 33 wins are tied for the most in school history. The Yellow Jackets, coached by Bond Shymansky, are making their first-ever NCAA Regional appearance after a pair of home sweeps last weekend over Alabama A&M in the first round and Florida A&M in the second round.
Georgia Tech is led by senior setter Kele Eveland, the reigning ACC Player of the Year. Eveland leads the nation in assists, averaging 14.9 apg, and has led the Yellow Jackets to an average of 18.2 kills per game, which also ranks first in the NCAA. Junior outside hitter Lynnette Moster was a first-team All-ACC selection who averages 4.2 kills and 3.1 digs per game.
Illinois vs. Georgia Tech - Series History
llinois and Georgia Tech have met four times, with the Illini winning all four matchups. The two teams last played in Chicago during the 1997 season, a 3-0 Illini victory.
About California
No. 8 California, the 10th seed in the NCAA Tournament, is 25-6 on the season. Under the direction of head coach Rich Feller, the Golden Bears have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in school history after recording a pair of home sweeps over Saint Mary's in the NCAA first round and Michigan in the second round.
Cal is led by junior All-American outside hitter Mia Jerkov. The All-Pac 10 selection leads the conference in kills, averaging 6.0 kpg and is hitting .285 on the season, having taken over 1,560 attempts. Jerkov averages 3.3 digs per game and has tallied 53 aces on the year. The Golden Bears have also gotten steady play from freshman setter Samantha Carter. She has set the Cal school single-season assists record with 1,500 and is averaging 13.4 apg on the year.
Illinois vs. California - Series History
Illinois owns a 2-0 lead over California in the all-time series. The first meeting was a 3-1 Illinois win in 1985 and the most recent match came in 1990, a 3-0 Illini victory.
Hardin Named Big Ten Coach of the Year
Fighting Illini head coach Don Hardin was named Big Ten Coach of the Year by the conference coaches, while Hardin was named Big Ten Co-Coach of the Year by the media along with Penn State's Russ Rose. This marks the second time in the last three years that Hardin has won the award, also earning Coach of the Year honors in 2001.
Illinois is enjoying its best season of Hardin's eight-year Illini tenure. The team has won 26 matches, marking the most victories for the program since 1992. Illinois finished tied for second place in the Big Ten with a 15-5 record, marking the highest conference finish and most league wins for the Illini 11 years, since Illinois won a share of the Big Ten title in 1992 at 19-1.
Argabright and Virtue Earn All-Big Ten Accolades
Illinois had two players named to the 12-player All-Big Ten team in senior Lisa Argabright and junior Erin Virtue.
This is the second All-Big Ten selection for Argabright, who was also named to the 2001 All-Big Ten team as a sophomore. Argabright leads the Illini in kills, hitting percentage and blocks on the season. The middle blocker ranks second in the Big Ten with an attack percentage of .383, fifth in the conference with 1.29 blocks per game and 12th in the league with 3.79 kills per game. Argabright has recorded double figures in kills in 26 of 32 matches this year and has led the Illini in kills 15 times. She has led the team in hitting percentage 12 times and has been Illinois' top blocker 21 times
Virtue performed brilliantly in her first season as Illinois' starting setter, directing the Illini offense to a team hitting percentage of .253. She finished second in the Big Ten in assists in conference matches, averaging 13.67 per game, while ranking third in the league in all matches with an average of 13.56 apg. Virtue made her presence felt in all areas, leading the team and ranking seventh in the Big Ten with 41 service aces, while ranking second on the Illini and 18th in the conference in digs with an average of 2.64 dpg. She has tallied 15 double-doubles on the season.
Illini Climb to 15th in National Rankings
The Illini are ranked 15th in this week's AVCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, climbing three spots from its No. 18 ranking the past two weeks. This marks Illinois' highest ranking in over four years, since appearing at No. 14 in the 1999 preseason poll. Below is list of Illinois' national ranking in the polls this season:
Poll Date UI Rank
Poll #9 Oct. 27 25th
Poll #11 Nov. 10 25th
Poll #12 Nov. 17 20th
Poll #13 Nov. 24 18th
Poll #14 Dec. 1 18th
Poll #15 Dec. 8 15th
*Complete Illinois Volleyball NCAA Regional Notes available by clicking on .pdf link at the top of this page.
