Sept. 20, 2003
Final Stats
Indianapolis, Ind. -
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Illinois found itself in a dogfight with the host Butler Bulldogs on Saturday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. But the Illini stepped up when it counted most, posting a 26-30, 30-23, 30-26, 28-30, 15-6 win over Butler (8-6) in the Orange and Blue's first five-game match of the season. With the victory, the Illini extend their winning streak to eight straight matches and wrap up the nonconference portion of the 2003 schedule with an impressive 9-1 record.
Senior middle blocker Shelly O'Bryan was a model of consistency for the Illini throughout the match. O'Bryan tied her career high with 16 kills on a match-high hitting percentage of .481. She also was a force on defense, tying her season high with a match-high seven blocks.
"Shelly did an incredible job hitting slides and coming through at key points in the match," Head Coach Don Hardin said. "She was very steady throughout and played a major role in tonight's victory."
O'Bryan's fellow middle blocker, senior Lisa Argabright, had a team-high 18 kills for the Illini while senior Melissa Vandrey also finished in double figures in kills with 14.
Illinois outdug Butler 78-to-71, led by a season-high 19 kills from junior libero Lauren Harks, who now has recorded double figures in digs in eight of Illinois' 10 matches this season.
Erin Virtue set a career-high 62 assists in the match and recorded 18 digs. She also served three aces, with two of them coming during crunch time in game five.
The fifth and deciding game was when Illinois took its game to another level. After falling behind 1-2, the Illini scored and then Virtue served five consecutive points for a 7-2 lead from which the team would not look back in securing its eighth straight win.
"I'm really encouraged with how we fought in this match," Hardin said. "Butler played fantastic and things were not going our way the majority of the night. To keep our composure and play through some adversity and come out of here with a win, our team should be proud of itself."
Illinois' eight-match winning streak is the longest since Hardin's second UI squad opened the 1997 season with eight straight wins. At 9-1, the Illini are off to their best start since Hardin's '97 squad also held a record of 9-1.
Having wrapped up nonconference play, Illinois opens the Big Ten season with a four-match road trip. First up is the conference opener at Northwestern on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.
