Blue Raider Bash - Sept. 12-13, 2014 - Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Match 6:  Middle Tennessee	Friday, Sept. 12, 2014 | 5 p.m. CT | Alumni Memorial Gym Radio: WDWS 1400 AM | Video | Audio | LiveStats
Match 7: Virginia Tech	Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014 | 12:30 p.m. CT | Alumni Memorial Gym Audio | LiveStats
Match 8: Washington State	Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014 | 7:30 p.m. CT | Alumni Memorial Gym Radio: WDWS 1400 AM (Tape Delay after football) | Audio | LiveStats
Game Notes	Illinois | Middle Tennessee State | Virginia Tech | Washington State
Statistics	Illinois | Middle Tennessee State | Virginia Tech | Washington State
Series History	Middle Tennessee State: Illinois leads, 2-0. Last: Illinois won, 3-0, on Sept, 9, 2011. This weekend marks Illinois' first meeting with Virginia Tech and Washington State.
Social Media	@IlliniVball  | #Illini  | Facebook | @IlliniVBall  | YouTube

The Illini head to unfamiliar territory this weekend, having played a total of two matches against this weekend's three opponents. Those two matches were fairly recent, however, as Illinois took on Middle Tennessee State in both 2010 and 2011. The Illini topped the Blue Raiders, 3-1, at the State Farm Illini Classic on Oct. 28, 2010, then made their first trip to Murfreesboro for the MTSU Invitational, where they swept the Blue Raiders on Sept. 9, 2011.

Illinois will face Virginia Tech and Washington State for the first time this weekend. The Illini are 33-14 all-time against current members of the ACC, including a win over No. 20 North Carolina on opening weekend. 

The Orange and Blue are 16-26 all-time against members of the Pac-12, with 17 of those losses coming to perennial powerhouses Stanford and UCLA, both of whom topped Illinois last weekend at the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge.

McMAHON TABS SENIOR CLASS AWARD NOD

Illini opposite hitter Liz McMahon was named one of 30 candidates for the annual Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes student-athletes for outstanding achievements on and off the court spanning four key categories: Classroom, Community, Character and Competition. McMahon is the second Illini to be named a candidate, after Laura DeBruler was a top-10 finalist for the first volleyball award in 2010. McMahon is one of two Big Ten student-athletes on the candidate list, joining Michigan State libero Kori Moster. The list will be narrowed down to 10 finalists in October, and an open online vote will determine the winner, to be announced in December at the NCAA Championship.

ILLINI CLAIM PERFECT OPENING WEEKEND

Illinois started the 2014 season on a high note, claiming the Illini Classic title with wins over (RV) Long Beach State, Southern Illinois and No. 20 North Carolina without dropping a set. The Illini showed discipline and composure, battling back from down 21-19 in the first two sets against LBSU as well as 19-14 in the first set vs. SIU to go a perfect 9-0 in sets and sweep the tournament.

The Illini led a balanced attack, spreading the ball around fairly evenly to Illinois' four pin hitters, while middle blockers Anna Dorn and Katie Stadick were in the mix as well. The offense was incredibly efficient, hitting .324 on the weekend, while holding the 49ers to .102 and the Tar Heels to just .079.

Jocelynn Birks led the Illini with 32 kills, hitting .310 with 23 digs, to earn all-tournament honors. Fellow-outside Morganne Criswell joined her on the all-tournament team after hitting .333 with 24 kills and just five errors. Opposite hitter Liz McMahon led the tournament by hitting .426 with 24 kills and 10 blocks en route to All-Tournament MVP as well as her first career Big Ten Player of the Week award. 

On the defensive end, middle blockers Dorn and Stadick combined for 21 blocks, while Dorn hit .417 with seven kills and Stadick hit .318 with nine. Freshman Brandi Donnelly made her collegiate debut at libero, pacing the Illini back line with 33 digs along with 13 assists. Sophomore transfer Allison Palmer shined in her Illini debut, tallying 55 assists, 17 digs and four aces, while Alexis Viliunas supplemented the 6-2 with 39 assists and 17 digs.

BIRKS, MCMAHON EARN PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN

Senior Liz McMahon and junior Jocelynn Birks were named Preseason All-Big Ten, as elected by the conference coaches. McMahon was the only Big Ten player to earn her third award, while Birks tabbed the honor for the second straight season.

Birks became the 15th Illini to be named AVCA All-America, earning a Third Team selection in 2013, to go along with AVCA All-Region honors and a unanimous Big Ten selection. Birks was one of six Big Ten players to appear on every preseason all-conference ballot and is the only returning player to have been a unanimous pick at the end of last fall.

The outside hitter totaled 500 kills in 2013 to post her second consecutive season with at least 500, a feat achieved just twice before by members of the Fighting Illini. She finished the season ranked fifth in the Big Ten and 40th in the nation in kills per set, and fourth in the Big Ten and 38th in the NCAA in points. Additionally, her 17 services aces in conference play tied for seventh in the league. After her first two seasons, Birks ranked second in the NCAA among active players in career attacks per set and ninth in kills per set, ranking third among active underclassmen with a total of 1,010 career kills.

McMahon enters her senior season after receiving AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten honorable mentions in 2013. The 6-6 opposite hitter tallied 391 kills and 100 blocks last fall, posting at least six kills in every match, including 24 double-digit kills performances. The Liberty Township, Ohio, native posted 23 kills, including the final four of the match, to propel Illinois to a tight victory over Arizona State in five sets. She hit her stride in last October, tallying 59 kills while hitting .343 over matches against Ohio State, Northwestern and Wisconsin.

Birks is one of five 2013 All-Big Ten selections returning for 2014, all of whom received unanimous Preseason All-Big Ten honor.

ILLINI TO FACE FORMIDABLE SCHEDULE ONCE AGAIN

Fresh off playing the most difficult schedule in the nation and perhaps one of the most challenging slates ever played in the history of NCAA volleyball in 2013, the Fighting Illini have their work cut out for them once again in 2014, with nine opponents that are ranked in this week's AVCA poll, including three of the top four (No. 1 Stanford, No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Wisconsin).

The Illini opened the season at home with 3-0 sweeps of Long Beach State, who was receiving votes, and then-No. 20 North Carolina. Illinois then traveled to California to take on UCLA and Stanford. UCLA was unranked at the time, but jumped to No. 25 after the win. Illinois took then-No. 2 Stanford to five sets, but lost 15-12, and the Cardinal was rewarded by moving up to No. 1 in this week's poll.

Illinois returns to the Midwest this weekend for the Blue Raider Bash, featuring three teams in the top 100 in the final RPI of 2013; Virginia Tech (66), Washington St. (67), MTSU (87); then take on 2013 NCAA Tournament participants Creighton and Colorado before concluding nonconference play against South Dakota.

The Big Ten is stacked once again this season, as six of the top 15 teams (including Illinois) are conference members. Illinois must travel to No. 3 Penn State and No. 23 Michigan State, play No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 11 Nebraska twice, and host No. 8 Purdue and No. 19 Minnesota. Additionally, the Illini play two matches each against Michigan and Northwestern, which are both receiving votes.

According to the final RPI of 2013, Illinois will face nine top-25 teams, including five of the top 10, and has four additional opponents in the top 50. Nineteen of Illinois' 24 opponents can be found in the top 100, and only new conference foe Rutgers (#285) is outside the top 135.

Of the Illini's 24 opponents, 11 qualified for the 2013 NCAA Tournament. All but two of them advanced to the second round, with seven opponents qualifying for Regionals. The Illini will face five of the eight teams that advanced to the Regional Semifinals, including NCAA champion Penn State and NCAA runner-up Wisconsin.

Illinois' tournament opponents hail from seven different conferences, including four from the powerhouse league of the Pac-12. The Illini will face two teams from the ACC, along with squads from the Big East, Big West, Conference-USA, MVC and Summit League.

DOUBLING UP

Three Illini registered double-doubles in the five set match at No. 2 Stanford, each in a different pair of categories. Jocelynn Birks posted the second-most digs in her career, tallying 17 digs and 16 kills for her 25th career double-double. Alexis Viliunas registered her 17th career double-double, by notching 32 assists and 10 digs. Morganne Criswell stepped up at the net, registering 16 kills and 10 blocks to record the first kills-blocks double-double in three years. Entering the weekend, Criswell's career high had been just four blocks in a match, but her hard work in the gym paid off as she tied for 12th all-time at Illinois with 10 block assists in the match.

The Illini racked up double-doubles in 2013, as 6-rotation players Birks and Viliunas combined for 25 on the season, along with one from Criswell. Birks tallied 11 in 2013, including a streak of four straight from Oct. 18-27, and 13 in 2012, all with 10+ kills and digs. She recorded her first-ever 20-20 match on Oct. 5, 2012, against No. 1 Penn State, notching 23 kills and 20 digs.

Viliunas proved herself a strong defensive setter in 2013, tabbing 14 double-doubles (assists-digs) in addition to two her freshman year. On Oct. 27, 2013, Viliunas put on a spectacular defensive display at No. 16 Wisconsin, posting a career-high 20 digs against the Badgers to record the first assists-digs 20-20 since 2010. She is just the sixth setter since 1990 to register a 20-20, joining Merrill Mullis (1991 at WIS), Carolien Dikhoff (1995 vs. OSU & PSU), Erin Virtue (2003 vs. Akron), Lizzie Bazzetta (2005 & 2006, both vs. Iowa) and Hillary Haen (2010 vs. Michigan) on the list of talented setters.

Criswell registered a double-double in her first start of 2013 at Duke, notching 14 kills and 11 digs. Additionally, Ali Stark and Allison Palmer both have double-doubles in their careers, as Stark had three kills-digs double-doubles in 2012, and Palmer had 10 assists-digs double-doubles as a setter at Arizona State in 2012.

ILLINI SET NEW AVERAGE ATTENDANCE RECORD IN 2013

• Over 16 home matches in 2013, the Illini brought in the second-largest total fan attendance in school history, with 49,871, and averaged the biggest crowd size ever, bringing in 3,117 fans per match. The 2013 Illini broke the record set in 1992, when Illinois last hosted the NCAA Regional and set a then-NCAA record with 52,666 total fans, averaging 3,098.

• The Illini began the 2014 season just as they left off, as 2,942 fans attended the season opener against Long Beach State and 3,257 packed Huff Hall for the second day of the Illini Classic, as Illinois begins the year with a program-best average of 3,152 fans.

Illinois' all-time top yearly attendance (by average)
Total (Average) - Year - Record
1. 49,871 (3,117) - 2013 - 10-6
2. 52,666 (3,098) - 1992 - 16-1
3. 33,713 (2,809) - 2012 - 5-7
4. 34,539 (2,657) - 1993 - 11-3
5. 42,068 (2,475) - 2011 - 16-1
6. 31,381 (2,414) - 1996 - 8-5
7. 32,856 (2,347) - 1995 - 10-4
8. 31,391 (2,242) - 1991 - 13-1
9. 33,279 (2,108) - 1988 - 16-0
10. 29,480 (2,106) - 2009 - 14-1

• Illinois played in front of seven 3,000+ crowds at home in 2013 and an additional five on the road, including 8,283 at Nebraska and 5,160 at Purdue.

• Illinois hosted Iowa on Sept. 27, 2013, at State Farm Center in the Big Ten season opener. The event drew a crowd of 7,061, the second-largest crowd in school history and the largest crowd ever for a volleyball-only event (the record, set in 2009 at 7,632, was held in conjunction with basketball's Illini Madness promotion).

• Illinois hosted the 2013 NCAA Regional at State Farm Center on Dec. 13-14, and despite a blizzard outside, the Illini attracted a crowd of 4,631 to the Regional Semifinal against No. 19 Purdue, which included roughly 1,000 Illinois students.

Illinois' Top 20 all-time top volleyball crowds
1. 7,632 Minnesota* 10/16/2009
2. 7,061 Iowa* 9/27/2013
3. 4,631 Purdue*^ 12/13/2013
4. 4,316 Stanford^ 12/11/1992
5. 4,261 Purdue 10/1/2011
6. 4,211 Ohio State^ 12/3/1992
7. 4,141 Penn State 9/24/2010
8. 4,123 Nebraska^ 12/10/1992
9. 4,050 Ohio State 10/18/1991
    4,050 Penn State 11/27/1992
11. 4,021 Michigan State 10/15/2011
12. 3,905 Penn State 11/11/2011
13. 3,770 Iowa State 8/31/2012
14. 3,632 Purdue 11/16/2013
15. 3,538 Washington 9/13/2013
16. 3,513 Michigan State 10/24/1992
17. 3,497 Penn State 10/15/1993
18. 3,476 Nebraska 9/28/2013
19. 3,419 Purdue 11/13/1992
20. 3,391 Ohio State 11/12/2011

^NCAA Tournament; *held at State Farm Center

• Illinois is 3-0 at home so far in 2014. The Illini are 75-19 in front of a home crowd since the start of 2008. Seventeen of the 19 losses came to teams in the top 25, including three to the No. 1 team in the country.

• Illinois finished 2013 ranked seventh in the nation in total attendance and ninth in average crowd size. So far in 2014, Illinois ranks sixth in the nation in average fan support. 

2014 NCAA Attendance Leaders (by average)
Team - Total - Dates - Avg.
1. Nebraska - 17,131 - 2 - 8,566
2. Hawaii - 32,918 - 6 - 5,486
3. Florida - 14,117 - 4 - 3,529
4. Colorado St. - 16,707 - 5 - 3,341
5. Penn St. - 9,517 - 3 - 3,172
6. Illinois - 9,456 - 3 - 3,152
7. Minnesota - 5,576 - 2 - 2,788
8. Stanford - 5,109 - 2 - 2,555
9. Michigan St. - 4,703 - 2 - 2,352
10. Ohio - 6,538 - 3 - 2,179

Redshirt junior Anna Dorn was named CoSIDA Academic All-District for the second-straight season in 2013, after registering a 3.96 GPA along with her solid play on the court. The fourth-year Kinesiology major was one of just six players in District 5 to be named to the First Team, joining fellow-Big Ten members Kristen Kelsay (MSU) and Faye Adelaja (Purdue). With her second All-District honor, Dorn joins an elite group of just three other Illini who have tabbed multiple First Team honors, a feat most recently met by Director of Operations Johannah Bangert , who is the sole Illini to have three All-District honors, including First Team nominations in 2009 and 2010.

HAMBLY PRODUCING ALL-AMERICANS

Illinois has 25 All-America honors among 16 players in school history. Of those, eight players have earned 13 honors with Kevin Hambly on staff. Three of the five first-team All-Americans have come under Hambly (Laura DeBruler, Colleen Ward, Michelle Bartsch), while current staff members Hillary Haen and Johannah Bangert both earned All-America honors under Hambly as well. Junior Jocelynn Birks returns in 2014 after earning Third Team honors last season.