Sept. 1, 2004

Junior outside hitter Rachel VanMeter put forth a dominating hitting performance on Wednesday as Illinois blanked Illinois State 3-0 in the opening of the 2004 volleyball season. VanMeter also hit .607 in the Illini's 30-21, 30-19, 30-20 victory. The crowd of 1,584 at Huff Hall was vocal and helped the Illini gain momentum through the night. "Rachel has grown into her own," Hardin said after the match. "She carried us tonight and showed a lot of maturity." Illinois set the tone early in the match, taking a 10-3 lead out of the box. Illinois' defense allowed Illinois State to hit just .188 for the match, including just .091 in the opening game. Kathleen Bazzetta served four points in a row, including an ace. The Illini had 12 service aces in the match, including four from Bazzetta and three from VanMeter, who had six of her 20 kills in the first game. Illinois built a 20-10 lead before ISU cut the deficit to 25-20. Then Illinois closed the match with a 5-1 run to claim the first game. Illinois State built some momentum in the second game, taking a 10-7 lead before again Illinois took control. With the game tied at 16-16, Illinois out-scored the Redbirds 14-3 the rest of the way to close out a 30-19 victory. The third game was all Illinois. Meghan Macdonald backed up VanMeter's eight kills in the game with five of her seven kills in the final frame. The Illini jumped out to a 14-6 lead in the final game and never led by fewer than five points the rest of the way. Jessica Belter was second on the night with 10 kills, while Macdonald hit .500 with seven kills in 12 swings. Beth Vrdsky and Erin Virtue led the club with five digs apiece, while Virtue tallied 44 assists. "I think I was more nervous than the team was for this opening game," Hardin said. "Overall it was a remarkable opening season performance. I couldn't be happier, to open a season like this."