Sept. 15, 2010

Complete Match Notes in PDF Format

Big Ten/Big East Challenge

When: Sept. 17-18
Where: Cardinal Arena, Louisville, Ky.
The Field: Cincinnati, #5 Illinois, Louisville, Purdue
Schedule: 9/17 -- Illinois vs. Cincinnati, 3:30 pm; Louisville vs. Purdue, 6 pm; 9/18 -- Purdue vs. Cincinnati, 3:30 pm; Illinois vs. Louisville, 6 pm
Radio: Illinois matches can be heard live on fightingillini.com and WDWS (AM-1400). Saturday's match will also be aired on WDAN (AM-1490). Dave Loane and Matt Wille are on the call.

Four teams begin rotating series: The four teams in Louisville this weekend are in the second year of a rotating series where the two Big Ten schools face the two Big East schools. Last year's event in Purdue featured Ohio because Cincinnati was already in Illinois' tournament. Next year's event will be played at Illinois and will be Cincinnati in 2012

Illinois knows UC, UL well: Because of the success and proximity, Cincinnati and Louisville are two teams that the Illini could face in the NCAA Tournament most years. Illinois played the Bearcats in the 2008 NCAA Tournament second round with the Illini coming out on top in straight sets, then began the the 2009 home season with a three-set victory over Cincinnati in the State Farm Illini Classic. Illinois leads the overall series, 4-2.

The Illinois-Louisville series took on special meaning when former Louisville head coach Don Hardin returned to Champaign to take over the reigns of the Fighting Illini. In 1996, an unranked Illinois team knocked off #15 Louisville in the Cardinals' home gym in straight sets. The Illini, who lead the series 7-3, won six straight from 1989-2003, the final in the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament, which sent the Illini into the Sweet 16. The following year, the Cardinals knocked the Illini out of the tourney in the first round in a match played in Columbia, Mo. • Last year Illinois defeated Louisville in four sets in a match played at Purdue. Erin Johnson had 10 kills while hitting .588. Laura DeBruler added 19 kills.

Illinois ties
Erin Virtue is in her fourth season as an assistant coach at Cincinnati. Virtue was an Honorable Mention All-American setter on the Illini's Sweet 16 run of 2003.

Illini top NCAA statistical rankings
The first NCAA statistical rankings came out this week and Illinois is No. 1 in both kills (15.71 per set) and assists (14.71). Illinois is also 13th in the nation in attack percentage (.293).
• Hillary Haen ranks second individually in assists at 12.89 per set. Johannah Bangert is 11th in hitting percentage (.448) and 25th in blocks (1.36 per set)

Illinois nearly pull off win at Nebraska
Playing without Laura DeBruler, who is out with a bout of mononucleosis, the Illini nearly pulled off a win at Nebraska in front over nearly 12,000 fans at Lincoln's Devaney Center.

The Illini controlled the first two sets, winning 25-21, 25-21 and was looking good in set three until losing junior right side hitter Michelle Bartsch to a sprained ankle injury.

Illinois' depth and resiliancy shown in set five as the Illini led 13-11 before Nebraska recovered to take the five of the next six points and the match. Colleen Ward and Jazmine Orzoco led Illinois with 20 kills apiece

• Three Illinois players -- Hillary Haen, Colleen Ward and Johannah Bangert -- were named to the All-Tournament Team at the Ameritas Players Challenge, which saw the Illini defeat both Western Michigan and Dayton in three sets before falling to Nebraska. Setter Hillary Haen tallied 158 assists and 29 digs while engineering an offense that hit .281 for the tournament. Ward averaged an impressive 5.18 kills per set (57 kills in all) while hitting .297. Bangert had 19 blocks while hitting .400.

Illinois remains in the top five
Illinois fell two spots to No. 5 in the AVCA Coaches poll. Stanford, who ended Penn State's 109-match winning streak, is No. 1 followed by Penn State, Florida, Nebraska and Illinois.