Nov. 30, 2004

Champaign, Ill. -

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NCAA First and Second Round
Illinois vs. #19 Louisville, Dec. 3, 4 p.m., Hearnes Center, Columbia, Mo.
Radio: Illini Sports Network
(Dave Loane & Mike Koon)

#24 Missouri vs. Arkansas, Dec. 3, 6 p.m., Hearnes Center, Columbia, Mo.

Winner #1 vs. Winner #2, Dec. 4, 6. p.m., Hearnes Center, Columbia, Mo.
Radio: Illini Sports Network (Dave Loane & Mike Koon)

ILLINOIS AT A GLANCE:

Illinois reaches 16th NCAA Tournament: Illinois is making its 16th NCAA Tournament appearance. In the previous 15 appearances, the Illini have advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 on 11 occasions.

Illini to face Louisville for second straight season: Illinois is matched with #19 Louisville in the first round. This will mark the second consecutive season that the Illini and the Cardinals have met. Illinois won in the 2003 NCAA second round in Champaign, 30-26, 30-26, 32-30.

Illini have faced Missouri in NCAA: Missouri is also no stranger to Illinois in the NCAA Tournament. The Illini defeated the Tigers 26-30, 40-38, 30-25, 30-27 in the first round of the tournament at Huff Hall. The Illini fell to #4 Arizona in four games in the second round.

Illinois attendance increases, Illini tenth nationally in attendance: Illinois drew 22,890 fans to Huff Hall this season, an average of 1,761 per match. That ranked 10th nationally. That is also the highest average since 1999, when Illinois drew 1,828. Last season the Illini averaged 1,598 per match.

Three Illinois players honored by Big Ten: Jessica Belter, senior right side hitter, was named All-Big Ten. She was one of six players to earn the distinction unanimously. Junior outside hitter Rachel VanMeter was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten and redshirt freshman middle blocker Jen Hynds was named to the Big Ten's All-Freshman Team.

Streak Busters: Illinois has come to be streak busters. Earlier in the year Illinois defeated No. 1 USC, which came into the match on an NCAA record 52-match winning streak. On Oct. 23, Illinois also defeated Ohio State, who was one of three remaining undefeated teams in the nation at the time (19-0). Then on Nov. 6, the Illini swept Wisconsin, who was the hottest team in the Big Ten with an eight-match streak coming in.

Don Hardin to face former school: Illinois Head Coach Don Hardin will be facing Louisville, a team he coached from 1988-95. Hardin is responsible for building the program, leading the Cardinals to their first NCAA appearance in 1990. In eight seasons, he led Louisville to six conference titles and five NCAA Tournaments.

Senior Class helps rejuvenate Illinois tradition: Illinois honored four seniors last Saturday. In the past four seasons, the four women have played an intrinsic part in making Illinois a national contender again. In the past four seasons, Illinois has won 80 matches, reached the NCAA Tournament three times and defeated 11 ranked opponents.

VanMeter moves up single-season kills chart: Rachel VanMeter leads Illinois with 464 kills this season. She is now 11 kills shy of Mary Eggers' 475 for tenth on the Illinois single-season list. She can move quickly up the charts once she reaches.VanMeter also has eight matches with 20 kills or more this season, which is tied with Tracey Marshall for the sixth on that single-season list.

Advancement: The Winner of the Missouri Sub-Regional advances to the Louisville Regional Dec. 10-11.

A Look Back

Illinois closed out the 2004 regular season with a convincing 30-21, 30-22, 30-25 victory over Iowa on Saturday, but fell to fifth-ranked Minnesota who used tremendous defense and a .352 attack percentage to overhaul Illinois in straight games 30-24, 30-26, 30-28 on Friday night. The Illini finished the season 19-10 overall and 11-9 (fifth place) in the Big Ten.

Jessica Belter paced Illinois with 16 kills, leading three Illini in double figures in that department vs. Minnesota. Rachel VanMeter added 14 kills and Rasa Virsilaite 13 kills. Belter also hit a team-best .352. Illinois hit .241 as a team but was stymied by the Minnesota back row.

Illinois hit .298 vs. Iowa, led by 14 kills and a .478 attack percentage from Jen Hynds. Rasa Virsilaite and Rachel VanMeter added 11 kills as well. The Illini also had a great match defensively, out-digging the Hawkeyes, 63-52, led by Bazzetta's 19.

Before the match on Saturday, Illinois honored its four seniors - Erin Virtue, Kathleen Bazzetta, Jessica Belter, and Lauren Harks. Collectively the four women have helped the team to two NCAA tournaments and likely a third, won 79 matches, including 11 over ranked opponents, and sent Illinois into the Top Ten in the country at one point this season. The Illini are 24-4 at Huff Hall in the past two seasons as well.

THREE NAMED ALL-BIG TEN
Three Illinois volleyball players have earned accolades by the Big Ten in a release announced today by the conference office. Senior right side hitter Jessica Belter has been named All-Big Ten, while Rachel VanMeter has earned Honorable Mention-All Conference honors, and middle blocker Jen Hynds was named to the Big Ten's All-Freshman Team.

Belter had her best season to date, ranking eighth in the Big Ten in attack percentage (.323) during all matches, but third in the league (.351) during the 20-match Big Ten season. For the season Belter ranks second on the Illinois team with 372 kills, giving her 909 kills for her career. She added 105 digs and 89 blocks this season as well. Belter was also named to the All-Tournament Team at the C&C Services Invitational held at the University of Arkansas.

VanMeter leads the Illini and ranks fourth in the Big Ten in kills per game (4.34). The junior from Lexington, Ky., has a chance to climb up the ladder on the Illinois single-season kills list. Her 464 kills are just 11 behind Mary Eggers' 1987 for tenth-best in school history and just 40 behind Mary Coleman for fourth on the list. VanMeter is also just 29 kills shy of 1,000 for her career. She was named to the all-tournament team in all three tourneys the Illini participated in and earned MVP at the State Farm Illini Classic and the Hurricane Frances Classic.

Despite missing eight matches in late September, Hynds leads the Illini with 100 blocks, while ranking third in the Big Ten with a 1.29 blocks per game average. The graduate of Mundelein High School had 42 blocks combined in six matches from Nov. 5-20 and had 19 kills in the three-game sweep of Iowa. The 6-4 Hynds also has given Illinois a strong back row player and nearly completed her first double-double of her career with 14 kills and eight digs vs. Iowa in the season finale. Hynds has 204 kills and 69 digs on the year as well.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Although Illinois starts three seniors, the Illini are primarily a young team.
• Redshirt freshmen Jen Hynds and Stephanie Obermeier are starters. Hynds ranks third in the Big Ten in blocks Obermeier is third in the conference in assists.
• Sophomores Meghan Macdonald and Beth Vrdsky are also part of the Illinois nine-player rotation. Macdonald is hitting .290 and leads the team in service aces (29). Vrdsky has 198 digs.

MORE ON ILLINOIS TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• Illinois is making its 16th NCAA Appearance
• This is the fifth appearance in the last past seven seasons under Don Hardin. Coach Hardin has led the Illini to two Sweet 16 appearances -- in 2001 and 2003.
• Last year Illinois reached the Sweet 16 with victories over Murray State (3-0) and Louisville (3-1) before falling at Hawaii (3-0) in the Sweet 16.
• In 15 previous appearances, Illinois has reached the Sweet 16 nine times -- 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1995, 1998 and 2003.
• Illinois advanced to the Regional Final five teams and to the Final Four twice 1987 and 1988.
• The Illini are 21-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including 6-4 under Don Hardin.
• This year is just the fifth time that Illinois has not hosted a the first and second round -- 1985 (at Kalamazoo, Mich.), 1990 (Madison, Wis.), 1991 (Lincoln, Neb.), 1993 (Springfield, Mo. and Boulder, Colo.) and 1999 (Gainesville, Fla.).

HARDIN PICKS UP WIN 350
Don Hardin picked up win No. 350 vs. Wisconsin. Hardin is 161-110 at Illinois and 353-186 overall. Here is a look at when Hardin reached other milestones:
50 -- Oct. 21, 1990 (Louisville 3, Butler 0)
100 -- Oct. 17, 1992 (Louisville 3, Tulane 0)
150 -- Oct. 14, 1994 (Louisville 3, S. Mississippi 0)
200 -- Oct. 12, 1996 (Illinois 3, Indiana 1)
250 -- Sept. 24, 1999 (Illinois 3, Northwestern 2)
300 -- Sept. 14, 2002 (Illinois 3, Connecticut 0)

VANMETER MOVES UP KILL CHARTS
Season Kills List Kills Season 1. Erin Borske 714 1995
2. Nancy Brookhart 540 1987
3. Tracey Marshall 536 1998
4. Mary Coleman 504 1996
5. Julie Edwards 500 1994
6. Shadia Haddad 491 2000
7. Bridget Boyle 482 1987
8. Erin Borske 478 1994
9. Mary Eggers 476 1986
10. Mary Eggers 475 1987
Rachel VanMeter 464 2004

Career 20+ kills No. Years
1. Erin Borske 28 1994-1995
2. Tracey Marshall 19 1996-1999
3. Mary Coleman 18 1995-1998
4. Shadia Haddad 16 1998-2001
5. Bridget Boyle 13 1986-1989
Nancy Brookhart 13 1986-1989
7. Rachel VanMeter 12 2002-
8. Betsy Spicer 11 1997-2000
Petra Laverman 11 1988-1990
10. Mary Eggers 10 1985-1988

Season 20+ kills No. Season
1. Erin Borske 19 1995
2. Shadia Haddad 12 2000
3. Betsy Spicer 9 2000
Mary Coleman 9 1996
Erin Borske 9 1994
6. Tracey Marshall 8 1998
Rachel VanMeter 8 2004
7. Tina Rogers 7 1993
9. Cristy Chapman 6 1998
Tracey Marshall 6 1997
Julie Edwards 6 1994
Lorna Henderson 6 1991

HARKS, BAZZETTA MOVE UP DIG CHART
Lauren Harks enters the week with 1,328 digs for her career. She passed Sandy Scholtens for third vs. Michigan on Oct. 8. The Top Ten:
No. Years
1. Tracey Marshall 1,426 1996-1999
2. Mary Coleman 1,393 1995-1998
3. Lauren Harks 1,328 2001-
4. Sandy Scholtens 1,133 1985-1988
5. Mary Eggers 1,092 1985-1988
6. Petra Laverman 1,003 1988-1990
7. Kathleen Bazzetta 969 2001-
8. Shadia Haddad 962 1998-2001
9. Disa Johnson 959 1984-1987
10. Bridget Boyle 951 1986-1989

SERIES NOTES
Louisville Series
• Illinois leads the all-time series, 6-1
• The Illini defeated the Cardinals, 30-26, 30-26, 32-30 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Huff Hall. While the Illini won in straight games, each game was tightly contested. Game three was a classic back-and-forth affair, featuring 11 ties and five lead changes. There was plenty of drama up until the end, but Louisville scored three straight points. The score was tied at 29-, and 30-all. With Erin Virtue serving for the match, senior Melissa Vandrey pounded home a kill to give the Illini a 32-30 victory and set off a raucous celebration in Huff Hall. Vandrey had a match-high 16 kills. Rachel VanMeter tallied 13 kills, while Jessica Belter and Shelly O'Bryan added 10 each. Lena Ustymenko led Louisville with 12 kills. Anastasia Yartseva had nine kills and hit .467.
• Louisville won the team's first meeting 3-2 at the Illini Invitational in 1983. The Illini have won six straight in the series since then with victories in 1989 (3-0), 1995 (3-1), 1996 (3-0), 1999 (3-0), 2000 (3-1), and 2004 (3-0).
Missouri Series
• Illinois leads the series 6-1-1
• Illinois defeated Missouri 26-30, 40-38, 30-35, 30-27 in the NCAA First Round at Huff Hall. The Illini survived three Missouri game points and 10 ties in the final 12 points in game two. Lisa Argabright had 11 of her match-high 28 kills in game two.
Arkansas Series
• Illinois leads the series 2-1
• The Illini defeated the Lady Backs 30-22, 39-31, 30-20, 31-29 in Fayetteville on Sept. 18. Rasa Virsilaite had 21 kills and 10 digs to polish off a great weekend in which she was named the Arkansas Tournament MVP.

ILLINI ANNOUNCE 2005 SIGNING CLASS
Two DuPage Valley Conference standouts have signed national letters of intent to play volleyball at the University of Illinois. Lizzie Bazzetta, a 5-10 setter from Naperville North High School, and 6-3 middle blocker Rachel Henderson from Wheaton-Warrenville South High School, are members of the Illinois Class of 2009.

Bazzetta, the Naperville Sun Area Player of the Year, joins a host of family members, including sister Kathleen as Illini. Henderson totaled 337 kills, 57 blocks and 112 digs while hitting .436 this season after hitting .477 with 322 kills, 77 blocks, and 148 digs as a junior.

Henderson's Wheaton South Tigers have also enjoyed a string of success, placing fourth in the state in 2002 and winning the Regional in the past three seasons. The Tigers have also won the DuPage Invite the past two seasons. Henderson has been at the heart of that success, earning team MVP and All-DuPage Valley accolades. This season Henderson totaled 337 kills, 57 blocks and 112 digs while hitting .436 after hitting .477 with 322 kills, 77 blocks, and 148 digs as a junior. The Academic All-DVC selection plans to major in business.

VRDSKY EARNS SCHOLARSHIP
Beth Vrdsky has earned a scholarship for her final two seasons at Illinois. Vrdsky has been a fixture in the Illini backcourt the past two seasons with 379 digs the past two seasons while playing in all 56 matches. The sophomore has had 14 double-digit digs matches, including a career-high 17 in the Illini's upset of Minnesota last season. Vrdsky has been in the University of Illinois Air Force ROTC program.

INSTANT OFFENSE
When Illinois needs a spark offensively, Head Coach Don Hardin has inserted freshman Vicki Brown. Her presence has often meant an immediate kill for side-out. Brown had two kills in three swings (.667) vs. Wisconsin, matching her four-kill, .667 performance vs. Miami, She has quickly become a fan favorite. Brown had seven kills in the win over #1 USC and finished Arkansas off in the final game of the championship match of the tournament in Fayetteville. Brown recorded the Illini's last six points when the Illini trailed 25-27 in that one.

OBERMEIER COMPARES WELL
Stephanie Obermeier has 1047 assists in her freshman season. By comparison the Illini's all-time assist leader Melissa Beitz had 1162 assists in her freshman season.

BAZZETTA RECEIVES ACADEMIC HONOR
Illinois senior defensive specialist Kathleen Bazzetta has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Volleyball team. Bazzetta will move on to the Academic All-America ballot, the results of which will be announced on Dec. 2.

This year's team was voted on by members of CoSIDA from District V, which encompasses Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin as well as the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. To qualify for Academic All-District, student-athletes must hold at least sophomore status in their university, own a minimum grade-point average of 3.20, and be either a starter or key reserve for their team. A total of six comprise the All-District Team.

Last season Bazzetta was named to the CoSIDA Second Team All-District and is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. She also earned the team's Jim Bayne Award for Academic Excellence in 2003 while ranking 20th in the Big Ten in digs per game. Bazzetta hails a 3.966 grade-point average while majoring in business.

BELTER NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF WEEK
Jessica Belter was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Oct. 11. She had 25 kills and made just one attack error in 40 swings for a .600 hitting percentage vs. Michigan and followed that up with a .519 attack percentage (18 kills, four errors, 27 attacks) vs. Michigan State. For the week Belter had 43 kills and hit a combined .567.

Belter's success against Michigan and Michigan State is nothing new. Last season she was named not only Big Ten Player of the Week, but also AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 20, 2003, following wins at Michigan State and Michigan. Belter totaled impressive averages of 14.0 kills per match on combined .558 hitting along with 1.7 blocks and 2.0 digs per game in those matches last year.

HOME COURT SUCCESS
Illinois has a 24-4 record at home in the past two seasons, which includes six wins over ranked teams.

FIRST CLASS ATHLETES
The Illini volleyball team had a combined 3.39 GPA during the Spring semester, marking the 13th straight semester that the team GPA has been 3.0 or higher.

WEDDING BLISS
Needing to replace two assistant coaches this year, Illinois Head Coach Don Hardin made two outstanding hires in Mary Coleman, a former Illini and member of the USPV's Minnesota Chill and Jen Flynn, a former setter for the U.S. National Team. There was just one problem: both assistants already had wedding plans...during the season...one week apart.
• Coleman was engaged to Kevin Hambly, an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Team, and chose a September 25 wedding because it was after the Olympic Games. Hambly serves Illinois as a volunteer assistant coach this year. The couple missed the Purdue and Indiana matches.
• Flynn married Steve Oldenburg, who now serves the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics as an assistant strength coach. The couple were married Sept. 18. Flynn missed the Arkansas Tournament.
• As a compromise, both agreed to postpone their honeymoons.

ILLINI TOP NUMBER ONE
In a weekend full of upsets in the volleyball world, Illinois pulled the one most talked about with the win over USC. The Illini came from behind to win, 30-24, 24-30, 12-30, 30-27, 15-8 in front of 3,000 fans at Huff Hall. USC had come into the match with the all-time best win streak in NCAA History -- 52 matches and were the two-time defending champion. Illinois was out hit in the match .277-.126 and out-blocked 19-10, but didn't give up one service ace, while converting nine of their own.
After that week Illinois reached the top ten for the first since the 1993 season and has reached its best ranking since ending the 1998 season at No. 14.

FACING NUMBER ONE
The win over USC was the first by Illinois in seven tries against a number one team, four of those matches have come at Huff Hall. The Illini have taken the top team to five games now five times. In 1990 Nebraska played Illinois in the Illini Invitational ranked number one. The unranked Illini took the first two games from the Huskers, 15-6, 15-13 before falling in the final three games, 15-9, 15-8, 15-8. In 1998, top-ranked Penn State came in to Huff. This time the Nittany Lions took the first two games, 15-6, 15-7. Illinois took the next two, 17-15, 15-8 before Penn State won game five 15-12. #1 Penn State downed the Illini, in three games in 1999. Illinois also faced number one in 1988 and 1990. #2 Illinois lost to #1 Hawaii 15-11, 15-9, 15-8 in the 1988 Wahine Classic and to #1 UCLA at the Community Banker's Classic in Los Angeles, 15-6, 15-12, 15-3 in 1990.

HYNDS MOVES UP BLOCKS LIST
Led by Jen Hynds Illinois has used the block to its advantage in recent matches.
• Hynds ranked third in the Big Ten in blocks (1.30).
• The Illini out-blocked the Big Ten leading blocking team, Wisconsin, by an 11-7 margin, then had eight blocks in games two and three and finished with a 9-7 advantage vs. Northwestern. The Illini used a 12-5 advantage to defeat Ohio State and a 10-1 margin to sweep Iowa.
• Illinois had out-blocked 15 opponents this season and finished with the same number of blocks as its opponent five times. Opponents have out-blocked the Illini just three of the past 11 matches.

Serving bench mark for Illini
Illinois has led the Big Ten this season in service aces. The Illini have 170 aces for a 1.61 aces per game average, just ahead of Ohio State (1.59). The Illini have allowed half as many -- 98 aces (0.92), fourth in the Big Ten.