University of Illinois
5-0
Florida A&M
0-6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida A&M | 9 | 15 | 15 | 0 |
| Illinois | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Illini claim Texas Tournament title
September 4, 2010 | Volleyball
Sept. 4, 2010
Austin, Texas - The way the Big Ten and post-season schedule is laid out for volleyball, teams have to play in back-to-back days, therefore it was important to see how the fifth-ranked Illini would fare less than 24 hours after sweeping second-ranked Texas on its home floor. The result was an impressive 25-9, 25-15, 25-15 victory over Florida A&M. The victory improves Illinois to 5-0 on the season heading into a big tournament next week in Nebraska. Florida A&M drops to 0-6. Illinois thus claims the title at the Time Warner Cable Invitational.
On the weekend, Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly said, "It could be a special year, but that's not surprising because we have special kids and great talent. I liked the way they came out and sided out 80 percent in the first set. This team gets what college volleyball is all about and they handled today very well."
Michelle Bartsch had nine kills in 16 swings for a .500 average in playing just the first two sets. Those numbers plus an impressive 10 kills and .526 hitting percentage vs. Texas earned Bartsch tournament MVP honors. For the weekend, Bartsch hit .514 with 19 kills, five blocks and four digs.
Illinois once again got great production out of its middles. Sophomore Erin Johnson was especially potent Saturday vs. the Lady Rattlers, hitting .909 with 10 kills in 11 swings to go along with a season-best six blocks en route to a .684 percentage for the weekend.
Illinois played all 16 players on the trip. Sophomore Annie Luhrsen set the final set and a half, leading the team with 18 assists and a service ace. Freshman Jazmine Orozco played significant time as well, amassing seven kills and three service aces.
Junior Colleen Ward, senior Laura DeBruler and freshman Jennifer Bonilla were each named to the all-tournament team. Ward hit .312 with six kills, one ace and six digs vs. FAMU and .311 with 17 kills, three aces and 12 digs for the two-match tournament. Bonilla, meanwhile continues to serve and pass tough with 31 digs and two aces without being aced herself once. DeBruler had a monster first set on Friday night with 10 kills, and although tallying only two kills in limited action Saturday, still wound up with 19 kills and 15 digs for the tournament.
The day wasn't without its tough moments, however. Midway through the second set, freshman middle blocker Anna Dorn suffered a season-ending knee injury. Luckily it's early enough in the season for her to be able to apply for a medical hardship and maintain four years of eligibility.
Illinois plays a pair of nationally ranked teams next weekend at Lincoln in No. 20 Dayton and No. 8 Nebraska as well as highly-touted Western Michigan.
