July 31, 2007

Champaign, Ill. -

SETTER

Who's Back: Junior Lizzie Bazzetta returns for her third season. As a sophomore, Bazzetta ranked sixth nationally in assists (13.64). She also helped provide some support at the net with 51 total blocks.

Bazzetta was one of two Illinois players to be named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week following a combined 100 assists in seven games, leading Illinois to victories over Northwestern and Iowa.

The All-Marquette Kick-Off Classic performer, suffered a broken hand and missed the final two weeks of the regular season.

WHO's NOT: Stephanie Obermeier played an important role in two of the past three seasons, stepping in for injured starters. Obermeier ranked third in the Big Ten in assists in 2004 playing for All-American Erin Virtue and filled in nicely for the injured Bazzetta in 2006.

NEWCOMER: Hillary Haen is arguably the most heralded Illinois recruit in the Don Hardin era. Regarded as one of the top three setters in the nation and No. 23 player overall by prepvolleyball.com, Haen led her high school, Prairie Ridge, to a combined 142-22 record. In her final two seasons, Haen had a combined 299 kills, 113 blocks, 673 digs, 1553 assists and 72 aces. She was named an All-American three times while playing for the Sky High Club and Club Fusion.

Haen graduated high school in December and enrolled at Illinois, getting valuable experience this spring for the Fighting Illini. Haen has been competitive on the court and will be given a chance to earn the starting setter spot in the fall.

OUTSIDE HITTER

Who's Back: Last year due to injuries, Illinois relied on some new faces to carry the mantle from the outside. Kayani Turner had a fast start, ranking 15th nationally in kills per game at 4.98 and joined teammate middle blocker Vicki Brown as an imposing tandem. She was named to the All-Tournament team at the first two tournaments of the season and hit .287 in three matches at the State Farm Illini Classic. Unfortunately, injuries forced Turner to see limited action and miss three whole matches down the stretch. Her status for the 2007 season is uncertain.

The Illini then relied on a pair of transfers to fill the gap. Senior Amy Palash served as a pass/hitter in the Illini starting line-up most of the season after coming to Champaign from Valparaiso University. Palash had perhaps her most impressive performance against Penn State with 13 kills, eight in game one.

Likewise, Stefanie Alde made a major impact after transferring from Northwestern. She had some break-out matches, none bigger than a .632 hitting performance in a victory over host North Carolina in the UNC Volleyball Classic. The student crowd got into Alde's fantastic putaways by chanting "ALDE-ALL DAY" across the court.

Another of last year's first-year players, Kylie McCulley was quickly one of the most athletically talented players on the team. Coach Don Hardin searched most of the year to try to find a spot for the local product. But with an ailing Turner, McCulley was thrust in the starting line-up. McCulley had one of the memorable first starts in recent Illinois memory. She pounded out 19 kills, while hitting .265, including nine kills in game three vs. No. 2 Penn State as Illinois played down to the wire against the Lions in two of the three games. Hardin calls McCulley the best leaper he has ever coached.

NEWCOMER: Laura DeBruler is expected to make an immediate impact. The All-American ranked 30th in her class nationally by prepvolleyball.com. Like many of those in this Illini freshman class, she brings a high level of experience, competing at the USA Volleyball National High Performance Youth A2 Camp last July. Last year DeBruler hit .405 with 347 kills.

MIDDLE BLOCKER

Who's Back: No player has been more of a fan favorite during the past two seasons than Vicki Brown. Brown had a fast start to 2006, hitting .342 in the first month of the season and ranking among the best nationally in hitting percentage. Over that span, Brown was named to the All-Tournament team in all three pre season tournaments, and was named MVP of two of the those.

Brown was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten, but Illini fans have likely not seen her potential. She had a great spring and was one of 20 players invited to play on the USA A2 team in May.

Junior Rachel Henderson appeared in 21 of Illinois' 30 matches last season and hit .429 vs. Illinois State in the season opener.

WHO's NOT: Illinois must replace three-year starter Meghan Macdonald, a near .300 career hitter. Macdonald became the first Illinois player with at least 10 kills and a perfect 1.000 single-match hitting percentage vs. Indiana last year.

NEWCOMERS: This is the position that will see the most impact from the newcomers. 6-1 freshman Johannah Bangert promises to be in that "fun-to-watch" category before her career is over, likely sooner than later. The strong leaper showed her muscle in the triple jump, breaking her school record (37-8 1/2) and qualifying for state in that event. On the volleyball court, the All-American ranked No. 45 on prepvolleyball.com's list of top high school seniors last season, hitting .528 with 4.1 kills per game in leading her high school to its second straight final four appearance.

While Bangert provides the finesse, Abby Nelson and Nicole Kump provide the power.Nelson (No. 97 in senior class) helped Marist to a no. 19 national ranking and was listed as one of the "Top 50 Impact Recruits" by prepvolleyball.com. She hit .410 for her career, including .446 as a senior.

Kump, meanwhile, starred for another East Suburban Catholic power, Joliet Catholic, propelling the Angels to the state tournament three years, including a third-place finish in 2006. Kump also has international experience, grabbing MVP honors after hitting .489 at the Russian International Tournament and earning the same honor at the 2005 Junior Olympics.

DEFENSE

Who's Back: Ashley Edinger was the first major recruiting coup in what is turning out to be some impressive classes in back-to-back years. Edinger, the No. 1 libero nationally as a high school senior, didn't disappoint fans in her first collegiate season.

Edinger started every match at libero, earning all-tournament honors twice and nearly setting the single-season digs record with 488 for the year. Kristine Anderson got off to such a promising start last season, diving after loose balls and earning a starting spot. She tallied 31 digs in six matches before tearing her ACL prior to the UNC Tournament. She is progressing nicely and is expected to be back in the line-up.

WHO's NOT: Beth Vrdsky graduated after three years as a starter and one as the starting libero. Vrdsky's 520 digs in 2005 are the all-time single-season record. She was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week once as well.

NEWCOMER: Lea Zarytsky, an all All-Area performer, solidifies the back court. Zarytsky helped Sky High to the 2006 Junior Olympic National Championship.

OUTLOOK

The 2007 season promises a return for Illinois to the national stage. The Illini recruiting class was ranked sixth nationally by prepvolleyball.com. With five of the top 11 classes coming from the Big Ten, it could also mean the renewing and intensifying of many rivalries. Only Minnesota (4) had a a higher ranked class than Illinois among Big Ten schools.

With that kind of talent, the starting line-up could be loaded with freshmen. Haen enrolled at Illinois in January and has been competitive with incumbent Bazzetta at that position. Bangert promises to bring the same level of excitement as say Lisa Argabright did four years ago.

Besides the talent, Illinois will be glad to leave the past three seasons of injuries and thin line-ups behind. One thing is for sure -- no matter who takes the floor for the Illini this fall, there will be a full roster to choose from.

As far as the returnees are concerned, Brown could emerge as one of the top all-around players in the Big Ten. Her off-season has been busy and focused and all reports are that fans, who have grown accustomed to her stirring emotion on the court, will see the middle play at an even higher level.

McCulley could also provide some highlight reel material as well. The defense should be solid as ever with Edinger having a top-notch freshman campaign in a very challenging position for a first-year player. Illinois will welcome the return of Anderson whose injury left Illinois scrambling in the back row in 2006.

While Turner's status is unknown, a year of experience will benefit Palash and Alde and another year at middle blocker should give Henderson a chance to contribute as an upperclassman.

THE SCHEDULE

On tap are 16 matches against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year, 14 against seven schools in the Big Ten. The Illini meet LSU at a tournament in Houston, while Tennessee is one of four teams in this year's Illini Classic field. Both teams qualified for last year's NCAA Tournament. Tennessee also is just two years removed from the Final Four.

Coach Don Hardin on.....

Just how much better is Vicki Brown this year?
"Vicki has been seasoned these past few years with tremendous experience blocking middle in the Big Ten and being successful with that. After her experience with the national team, she sees her senior year as an opportunity to springboard into something professionally or with our national team, so I know she is very motivated. Her progression physically with her experience should make her one of the top middles in the Big Ten."

How was the battle at setter this spring?
"If you are going to have depth at any position, you want to have it at setter, and we have two great players at the position. If you saw our spring practices, you couldn't spot Hillary as being new. Lizzie has really improved and is more of a natural setter than she has ever been. It gives us a whole range of possibilities from starting one or the other or moving to a 6-2."

How much of an impact will this year's freshmen class have playing in the Big Ten?
"If Hillary is a reflection on how the rest of the class is going to be, we're in good shape. They are young, but they bring enthusiasm and natural ability to our team."

With five Big Ten teams in the top 11 of the 2007 recruiting class, has their been a huge shift of power in collegiate volleyball? How does it help coincide with the start of the Big Ten Network?
"What it means for the fan is the best volleyball you can see will be coming through Huff Gym. And it's not like we won't be armed against them. The future for volleyball could be very exciting. The Big Ten Network will help us get the best kids in the Midwest excited about volleyball. Already we're getting the top recruiting classes. The Big Ten Network is hitting the volleyball scene at a perfect time when great recruits are coming in."