Illinois Volleyball Hosts Michigan State, Michigan
October 26, 2005 | Volleyball
Oct. 26, 2005
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Michigan State at Illinois
Oct. 28, 7 p.m., Huff Hall, Champaign, Ill.
Radio: Illini Sports Network (Dave Loane & Steve Layman)
Series Notes: Illinois leads the all-time series, 35-20...The teams split a pair of matches last season with the Illini winning 3-0 in Champaign and falling 3-1 in East Lansing...The Illini have won four of the last five meetings with the Spartans....Don Hardin is 12-7 vs. Michigan State at Illinois.
Nip and tuck battle at MSU: Illinois won a competitive battle earlier this year in East Lansing with each game being decided by two points before the Illini won in the fifth game, 28-30, 30-28, 31-29, 30-32, 15-12. Only twice did either team lead by more than five points in any game and each team took turns making stellar plays to keep their respective teams in it.
Rachel VanMeter led the Illini with 25 kills, including a whopping 10 kills in a back-and-forth game three. Middle blocker Vicki Brown tallied a career-best 19 kills in 30 swings and hit .500. Kayani Turner was also in double figures in kills with 14.
To illustrate just how competitive the match was, each team had over 200 attacks for the night, including 85 by VanMeter. For VanMeter that marked the second time in three matches that she took over 80 swings. She now has the fourth and fifth most attacks in a match in school history.
Two of nation's top hitters square off:
Rachel VanMeter enters the contest ranked second in the nation kills per game at 5.78, while Michigan State's Katie Johnson ranks eighth at 5.13. At MSU, Johnson suffered an elbow injury that temporarily sidelined her for a game and a half vs. Illinois the first go around.
A look at the nation' kills leaders
As of Oct. 9. KPG 1 Laura Jones, Texas A&M 5.80 2 Rachel VanMeter, Illinois 5.78 3 Kelly Paiva, Fla. Atlantic 5.76 4 K. Billingy, Marshall 5.60 5 Lindsay Stalzer, Bradley 5.55 6 Kate McCullagh, NIU 5.53 7 Kristen Carlson, San Diego 5.36 8 Katie Johnson, Michigan St. 5.13 9 Lena Ustymenko, Louisville 5.13 10 Iulia Porumbescu, Ga. So. 5.12
Westview and Team Night: The Illinois volleyball continues its partnership with Westview Elementary School this year. On Friday over 125 students and teachers will on hand at Huff.
Michigan at Illinois
Oct. 29, 7 p.m., Huff Hall, Champaign, Ill.
Radio: Illini Sports Network (Dave Loane & Steve Layman)
Series Notes: Illinois has a 34-15 lead in the series...The Illini swept both matches last year vs. the Wolverines winning 3-2 in Champaign and 3-1 in Ann Arbor...Don Hardin is 10-9 vs. Michigan at Illinois...The Illini have won six of the last nine matches vs. the Wolverines.
Michigan tops Illinois in three:
The Wolverines defeated the Illini in straight games 30-20, 30-25, 30-19 on Oct. 7 in Ann Arbor. VanMeter led Illinois in kills vs. Michigan with 20. The Illini were out-blocked 8.5-4 and hit just .204.
Wolverines coming off big win: Michigan comes into the weekend on a high after a 3-2 victory over No. 7 Wisconsin in Ann Arbor. Katie Bruzdzinski led the way with 26 kills.
ILLINOIS AT AT GLANCE
LEADER OF THE PACK
Rachel Van Meter leads the Big Ten in kills per game in both conference (5.44) and overall matches (5.78). VanMeter is the lone senior in the top ten. Of the other nine players listed four are freshman and five are sophomores.
VAN METER SETS TOP BIG TEN ATTACK MARK
LINE-UP UPDATE
Stephanie Obermeier returned to the setter position midway through Saturday's match at Indiana. Obermeier started the first
Lizzie Bazzetta moved to the setter position during the Michigan and Michigan State weekend and is expected to start this weekend vs. Iowa and Minnesota. Because of injuries, Illinois has had some different line-ups.
Illinois has been without two of its players for parts of this season. Rasa Virsilaite had a procedure for a rapid heart rate this summer and wasn't cleared to play front row until a week before the season. Then on Sept. 16, Virsilaite broke her finger and sat out the next three matches (vs. Rice, Ohio State, and Penn State). She returned for matches vs. Northwestern and Wisconsin, but was cleared just to play back row. Virsilaite was cleared to play front row prior to traveling to Michigan and Michigan State.
Five-game magic
A total of seven of Illinois' 21 matches have gone to five games. Of those matches, the Illini are 5-2, which includes two wins on the road in the Big Ten -- at Ohio State and Michigan State. The Illini also have victories over Illinois State, Eastern Illinois, UNLV, and Ohio State. The illini have lost to Northwestern and at Indiana.
VANMETER PUTS ON DISPLAY VS. MINNESOTA
Rachel VanMeter put on an All-America like display vs. No. 9 Minnesota, going right at the top libero in the nation in the Gophers' Paul Gentil. VanMeter ended the match with 28 kills, 9 digs, 4 service aces and one block assist.
Topping .200: Illinois became the first team to hit over .200 against Minnesota this season. Their opponents have included No. 1 Nebraska, No. 4 Penn State, and No. 8 Wisconsin. The Illini hit .205, which including .381 in winning the third game.
Taking a game: Illinois was just the second unranked team to take a game from Minnesota, joining TCU, who also lost 3-1.
BRINGING HOME THE HARDWARE
This season, Rachel Van Meter:
WHAT'S THE VRD?
1. 45 Nicole Colaluca (MSU) at Sacramento State (Sept.17,2005)
2. 36 Beth Vrdsky (IL) vs Eastern Illinois (Sep 16, 2005)
3. 33 Volaluca, Nicole (MSU) vs. NU (10/1)
3. 33 Stesha Selsky (UM) at Georgia (Sep 16, 2005)
5. 32 Christie Gardner (NU) at Illinois (9/30)
MOVING UP THE CHARTS
Rachel VanMeter has moved into sixth in Illinois' all-time kills list. A season of 500 kills would move her into the top five. Bridget Boyle is currently fifth with 1,484.
Career Kill Leaders Kills 1. Mary Eggers 1,761 2. Mary Coleman 1,707 3. Nancy Brookhart 1,669 4. Tracey Marshall 1,657 5. Bridget Boyle 1,484 6. Rachel VanMeter 1,441 7. Betsy Spicer 1,245 8. Shadia Haddad 1,228 9. Tina Rogers 1,195 10. Erin Borske 1,192
Career Attack Leaders 1. Mary Coleman 4,374 2. Tracey Marshall 4,208 3. Rachel VanMeter 3,820 4. Bridget Boyle 3,480 5. Mary Eggers 3,417 6. Nancy Brookhart 3,329 7. Shadia Haddad 3,297 8. Petra Laverman 2,894 9. Lorna Henderson 2,772 10. Erin Borske 2,769
VANMETER FAR AHEAD OF LAST YEAR'S PACE
Rachel VanMeter finished last season with 483 kills. This season VanMeter already has 451 kills. At this pace, VanMeter would end the season with 665 kills, which would be the second most in Illinois history behind Erin Borske's 714 in 1995. VanMeter has 1,144 total attempts, on pace for 1,688, which would surpass Borske's 1,612 from 1995. That would give her 4,364, just 10 shy of Mary Coleman's record of 4,374.
DYNAMIC DUO
Kayani Turner and Vicki Brown have emerged as forces this year for Illinois. The Illini team have dubbed them the Batman and Robin of the team, taking the court by force.
MILESTONES NEARING
FAMILY AFFAIR
With the addition of Lizzie Bazzetta to the squad this year, the family continues a tradition at Illinois. Her sister, Kathleen, was a four-year regular at defensive specialist following aunts Kathleen and Eileen Garland, who played volleyball for the Illini in the 1970s. Her parents, Bob and Mary Jean Bazzetta and several family members also attended Illinois.
Illinois picked fifth
Illinois is picked fifth in the conference behind four conference teams ranked in the top 12 in the nation. Defending conference champion Penn State, national runner-up Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio State garnered the first four positions ahead of Illinois and Purdue, who tied with for fifth. Michigan is predicted seventh followed by Northwestern, Michigan State, Iowa, and Indiana.
RANKED STREAK CONTINUES
With the victory over No. 16 Ohio State, Illinois has now defeated a ranked opponent in 20 of the last 21 seasons, including 10 straight.
