| NCAA Tournament: Des Moines Regional |
|---|
| Regional Semifinal: Illinois vs. #2 Minnesota | Friday, Dec. 11, 2015 | 5 p.m. CT | Des Moines, Iowa | Wells Fargo Arena
Radio: WDWS 1400 | Livestats | Video: ESPN3 |
| Regional Semifinal: #7 Penn State vs. Hawaii | Friday, Dec. 11, 2015 | 7:30 p.m. CT | Des Moines, Iowa | Wells Fargo Arena
Livestats | Video: ESPN3 |
| Second Round | Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 | 5:30 p.m. CT | Des Moines, Iowa | Wells Fargo Arena
Radio: WDWS 1400 (only if Illinois is playing) | Livestats | Video: ESPN3 |
| Related Links | NCAA Championship Central | Interactive Bracket | Printable Bracket | GameTracker Bracket |
| Full Match Notes | Illinois | Minnesota | Penn State | Hawaii |
| Statistics | Illinois (21-12) | Minnesota (28-4) | Penn State (28-5) | Hawaii (28-1) |
| Series History | Minnesota: Illinois leads, 38-33-1 | Last: L, 2-3, on 10/3/2015 | Streak: L1 | Results
Penn State: Penn State leads, 42-10 | Last: L, 1-3, on 10/9/2015 | Streak: L1 | Results
Hawaii: Hawaii leads, 8-1 | Last: L, 1-3, on 12/11/2009 | Streak: L3 | Results |
| Tickets | Single Session: $11 | All-Session: $20 | Buy Tickets |
| Social Media | @IlliniVball  | #Illini | Facebook  | @IlliniVBall  | YouTube  |
ILLINOIS VS. THE FIELD
Once again, the Illinois volleyball team will be familiar with a pair of teams in this weekend's NCAA Regional, hosted by Northern Iowa and the Des Moines Area Sports Commission in Des Moines, Iowa on Dec. 11-12.
The Illini will take on the Big Ten Champions and No. 2 seed Minnesota in the Regional semifinal on Friday night and owns a 38-33-1 record against the Gophers. Minnesota overcame a 2-1 deficit to win the lone meeting between the two teams this season in a five-set thriller (24-26,25-22,25-22,10-25,6-15) in Minneapolis, Minn., on Oct. 3.
Penn State makes the third Big Ten team in the Des Moines Regional and will face Hawaii in the second semifinal on Friday night. The Illini trail in the series with the Nittany Lions, 42-10, and dropped the only meeting between the two teams this season, a 3-1 (16-25, 18-25, 26-24, 25-27) defeat in Champaign.
Hawaii, the lone team in the Regional that does not hail from the Big Ten, leads the all-time series with the Illini, 8-1, and have won three-straight from UI, including a 3-1 (25-21 ,10-25 ,25-27 , 16-25) victory in the Palo Alto, Calif. Regional in 2009. Illinois' lone win over the Rainbow Wahine came in 1992 in a three-set (15-12, 15-9, 15-7) victory in Honolulu.
LAST TIME OUT
After fending off a spirited Southern Illinois team in three sets (25-19, 25-15, 26-24) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Fighting Illini volleyball team booked a trip to the NCAA Regionals for the seventh time in eight years with a hard-fought 3-1 (15-25, 25-22, 25-18, 27-25) victory over No. 15 seed and host Louisville on Saturday night (Dec. 5) in Cardinal Arena.
Redshirt-senior Jocelynn Birks had a standout performance as she came within two kills of tying her career-high with a season-high 26 kills on 54 swings and only three errors for a hitting percentage of .426, while adding 10 digs for her 14th double-double of the season and the 56th of her career.
Junior Naya Crittenden joined Birks in double figures with 11 kills and four errors on 22 attacks for a .318 hitting percentage, while classmates Michelle Strizak and Katie Stadick added eight and seven kills, respectively.
Freshman Jordyn Poulter quarterbacked the Illini offense with 46 assists and also notched six block assists on the night. Fellow rookie Ali Bastianelli led UI at the net with seven blocks in the win.
Defensively, senior Julia Conard paced the Illini with 16 digs, while sophomore Brandi Donnelly had 13 and senior Ali Stark contributed 10.
LAST TIME IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Illinois is making its 23rd overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their seventh in the last eight seasons. The Illini own a 38-22 record all-time in postseason play and after earning a four-set victory over Louisville last Saturday, have advanced to Regionals on seven occasions since 2008, including making a run to the National Championship match in 2011.
In last season's NCAA Tournament, the 2014-edition of the Illini earned a national seed for the 16th time and advanced to their 15th regional in program history. Illinois took 3-0 wins over Murray State and Iowa State at Huff Hall in the first and second rounds, before falling to eighth-seeded Florida in a heated five-set battle in the Ames, Iowa Regional.
HAMBLY'S REGIONAL RUN
Under the leadership of head coach Kevin Hambly, the Illinois volleyball program has seen a run of success in postseason play as the Illini have advanced to an NCAA Regional every season with the exception of one in his seven seasons at the helm. The Illini have advanced to the NCAA Regionals in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015, and also made run to the National Championship match in 2011.
ILLINI QUARTET EARN B1G POSTSEASON HONORS
Four Illini collected Big Ten Conference postseason honors when the league announced its All-Big Ten teams last week, with redshirt-senior Jocelynn Birks earning her third-straight All-Big Ten accolade, freshmen Ali Bastianelli and Jordyn Poulter garnering spots on the All-Big Ten Freshman team and senior Ali Stark selected as UI's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient. Here are their regular-season capsules:
BIRKS: An outside hitter from Willow Springs, Ill., Birks is finishing off her Illini career in grand fashion as the senior became the program's all-time kills and attacks leader earlier this season and currently owns 1,926 kills in 5,534 attempts. She also became just the 12th player in program history to register 1,000 digs in her career and sits in a tie for seventh with 1,127 career digs.
In her final season in the Orange and Blue, Birks leads the Illini and ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 389 kills and is second in the conference with 3.89 kills per set. Along with her offensive prowess, she ranks second on the team with 251 digs and has one 20-dig performance in 2015. The elementary education major owns 12 double doubles on the year and has registered five 20-kill matches in 2015. A preseason All-Big Ten pick, she was named to the all-tournament teams at the Illini Classic, the B1G/Pac-12 Challenge and the Shocker Classic.
POULTER: Poulter has started 26 matches at the setter position for the Illini this season, playing in 29 of UI's 31 matches. She has paced the offense with 974 assists and ranks sixth in the conference with 10.36 assists per set. She led the Illini attack to a .229 hitting percentage and owns 197 digs, 73 blocks, including 10 solo blocks, 49 kills, and 11 service aces. The Aurora, Colo., native has totaled seven double-doubles and one 20-dig performance, including posting season-highs of 59 assists and 21 digs in a five-set battle with No. 4 Minnesota. She is a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week as well as earning Big Ten Setter of the Week honors and was named to the B1G/Pac-12 Challenge All-Tournament Team.
BASTIANELLI: Bastianelli has become one of the best blockers in the Big Ten throughout her rookie campaign, starting all but one match for the Illini. She leads the conference and ranks 21st in the NCAA with 150 total blocks, including 14 solo stuffs, while also ranking second in the league and 25th in the nation with 1.36 blocks per set. In conference action, Bastianelli sit second in both blocks (110) and blocks per set (1.5). She has also notched 116 kills on 293 swings for a .225 hitting percentage in her first season in the Orange and Blue. She earned back-to-back B1G Defensive Player of the Week honors earlier this season and is coming off of a career performance against Michigan last Friday as she recorded her first career double-double with season-highs of 11 kills and 11 blocks in her home state.
STARK: Senior opposite hitter Ali Stark was the fourth and final Illini to earn Big Ten honors as she was selected for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Stark is one of only two Illini to play in all 112 sets this season and has started 14 matches in her final campaign. She leads UI with 23 service aces, while also totaling 70 kills, 53 assists, 196 digs and 21 total blocks. She opened her final season as an Illini with a bang as she was named to the Illini Classic All-Tournament Team after posting 18 kills, 21 digs, six blocks, five assists and two aces en route to leading UI to the Illini Classic title.
BIRKS BREAKS ALL-TIME KILLS RECORD
In a record-setting final season in the Orange and Blue, redshirt-senior Jocelynn Birks added another record to her storied career as she broke the all-time kills record that was previously held by Laura DeBruler (1,833).
Entering the Nov. 7 match against Northwestern, Birks only needed three kills to break DeBruler's record of 1,833 kills and after tying the record with two quick kills in the first, fans would have to wait until her first kill of the second set to see the record broken. She finished with 22 kills on the night and currently owns 1,963 kills in her Illini career.
DONNELLY NAMED B1G DEFENSIVE POW
Sophomore libero Brandi Donnelly earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors on Nov. 9 after helping the Fighting Illini to back-to-back wins over the Wildcats on Nov. 4 and 7.
It was her second career Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week accolade after collecting her first earlier this season on Aug. 28. The Illini have earned eight B1G weekly honors this season, including taking home back-to-back Defensive Player of the Week awards as freshman Ali Bastianelli was named Co-Defensive Player and Freshman of the Week last Monday.
Donnelly paced the UI defense as she registered back-to-back 20-dig performances, opening with 24 against the Wildcats on Wednesday to go along with three assists and a service ace. She continued her strong play on Saturday by equaling her career-high with 26 digs and six assists in the win.
BIRKS NEARING POINTS RECORD
Redshirt-senior Jocelynn Birks has broken numerous records during her four-year career and is nearing another as she sits second in career points with 2,298.5 (1963k-97sa-22bs-254ba), and with 11 points against Rutgers on Nov. 14 she passed Nancy Brookhard, who registered 2,114 career points (1669k-122sa-124bs-398ba) to rank third all-time. Illini legend Mary Eggers owns the all-time points record with 2298.5 (1774k-180sa-121bs-447ba).
HAMBLY SIGNS TALENTED PAIR FOR 2016
The Fighting Illini volleyball program and head coach Kevin Hambly have announced the signing of two student-athletes to national letters of intent on Nov. 12 with Kaylin Korte (Morris, Ill.) and Jacqueline Quade (Fort Wayne, Ind.) set to join the Illini for the 2016 season.
ILLINI BLOCK PARTY AGAINST THE WILDCATS
Against Northwestern on Nov. 7, the Illini collected a season-high 19.5 blocks, including one solo block and 37 blocking assists, with the 37 block assists ranking fourth all-time in program history.
BASTIANELLI EARNS B1G HONORS
Freshman middle blocker Ali Bastianelli took home her first career Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week honors on Nov. 2. Bastianelli paced the Illini at the net with 14 total blocks in matches against Michigan State and Michigan, including one solo block and 13 block assists. The Marysville, Mich., native had a career night against MSU as she set a career-high with nine blocks and followed up that performance with a team-high five blocks versus the Wolverines.
The freshman added seven kills and only two errors on 14 swings for a .357 hitting percentage on the weekend, highlighted by five kills on eight attacks and no errors for a .625 hitting percentage against MSU.
BIRKS ALL-TIME ATTACKS ATTEMPT LEADER
On a fifth-set kill at No. 16 Minnesota on Oct. 3, Jocelynn Birks became Illinois' all-time attacks leader. Birks entered the match needing 56 attacks to break the record and closed out the evening with a mark of 57. The redshirt senior now has 5,625 attacks in her career and passed Laura DeBruler (2007-10) who sits second at 4,806.
BIRKS BREAKS 1,000 IN CAREER DIGS
With her second dig of the night against Nebraska on Oct. 17, Jocelynn Birks became the 12th Illini to register 1,000 digs in her career and owns 1,152 in her Illini career to rank seventh in program history.
HAMBLY PICKS UP 150TH WIN AT ILLINOIS
With a 3-0 sweep of Maryland on Sept. 25, Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly earned his 150th win at the helm of the Illinois volleyball program. In his seven seasons as head coach, Hambly owns a 161-71 mark at UI.
900 PROGRAM WINS
With a 3-0 sweep of No. 21 Colorado in the B1G/Pac-12 Challenge on September 5th, the Illinois Volleyball program picked up its 900th program victory, setting it apart as one of the elite NCAA programs. The victory was head coach Kevin Hambly's 144th win at the Illinois helm.
ON THE ROAD...
After hosting the Illini Classic to open the 2015 campaign, Illinois volleyball set out for six road trips over five weeks, before finally returning to play at Huff Hall on Oct. 9. UI hit the road for the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge hosted by Penn State. The following weekend, the Orange and Blue headed to Wichita, Kansas, for the Shocker Volleyball Classic. Illinois then competed at the Sun Devil Invitational, hosted by No. 10 (at the time) Arizona State, before starting Big Ten play at Maryland and Rutgers. The Illini then continued league play at Wisconsin and Minnesota, ranked No. 19 and 16, respectively, at the time of the matches.
POULTER PICKS UP MORE B1G AWARDS
Following exceptional weekend performances to open Big Ten play against Maryland and Rutgers, Jordyn Poulter was tabbed both the Big Ten Setter of the Week and the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. After her opening week of collegiate play, Poulter also picked up the Freshman of the Week accolade.
HOLDING OPPONENTS TO SINGLE DIGITS
Four times now this season, Illinois has held an opponent to single digits in a set. The first occurance came against South Dakota State at the Shocker Classic when UI limited the Jackrabbits to nine points in the middle of the three sets played. The Orange and Blue went even bigger against Texas Southern, limiting the Tigers to just seven points in the second frame. The Illini also achieved the feat twice again when they held Rutgers to a 25-8 second set reading in the two teams' first meeting on Sept. 26, before holding the Scarlet Knights to another 25-8 mark in the first set in their second meeting last Saturday. The previous time UI held an opponent to that few of points was in Hambly's final year as an assistant with the Illini against North Carolina in 2008.
FIRST SET PERFECTION
While the Fighting Illini are not unscathed on the season, their record in opening sets remained perfect through the first 13 matches. In the loss to Stanford, the sides went to four sets as UI captured the opener 26-24. That set marked the only time the Illini had a set point against them in the first frame over the 13-match span. When the Fighting Illini unit fell to Arizona State in five sets, the Orange and Blue won the opener 25-23.
The Fighting Illini held a 13-0 record in the first frame entering the match at No. 19 Wisconsin. UW topped the Illini in the first set by a 25-16 reading to put an end to the longest streak to open the season in program history. The second best mark ever recorded by UI to start the season was by the 1986 unit that won the opening set in their first 10 matches.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES IN TEMPE
In the span of two matches in Tempe, Arizona, to close out the non-conference slate, Jordyn Poulter and Jocelynn Birks tallied three double-doubles between the two of them. Birks and Poulter both achieved the feat in the four-set contest against UNLV on Sat., Sept. 19, morning. Poulter turned around and hit the marks again that night in the five-set thriller against Arizona State. Those marks put Birks at three double-doubles on the season and Poulter at four.
HUFF HALL ATTENDANCE CONTINUES TO CLIMB
In 1992, the Illini set an NCAA record with 52,666 fans for an average of 3,098 fans per match. Under head coach Kevin Hambly, that loyalty has returned, as attendance has steadily risen every year during his tenure.
In 2013, the Illini set a new record for average attendance, ranking ninth in the nation with 3,117 fans per match, which included two matches played at State Farm Center. The following summer, Huff Hall renovations increased capacity to 4,536, and the Illini posted yet another 3,000+ crowd average, ranking eighth in the nation in 2014 at 3,027.
The Fighting Illini faithful returned in full force to start 2015, as reserved season tickets sold out during preseason sales for the first time in program history, and the Orange and Blue posted three consecutive 3,000+ crowds on opening weekend, including 3,344 fans "stuffing" Huff on opening night. After five weeks on the road, the Illini returned to the 13th-highest attended crowd in program history with 3,997 fans coming to see the Illini's return on Oct. 9 against Penn State. The Illini finished the 2015 home campaign averaging 3,020 per match, which ranks fourth on UI's all-time yearly attendance list.
On Oct. 4, 2014, the Orange and Blue hosted the first-ever IlliNOISE Night promotion, during which the Illini faithful sold out Huff Hall with a record crowd of 4,536 fans. In the first official sellout since 2011, Illinois fans broke the 22-year-old record of 4,316 set at the 1992 NCAA Regional vs. Stanford after the 2014 summer renovations increased listed capacity by nearly 500 seats. IlliNOISE Night returned this season as the Illini hosted No. 3 Penn State on Oct. 9 with 3,997 fans coming out to the match, making it the 13th-highest attended match in program history.
| 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. | 45,410 (3,027) | 2014 | 14-1 |
| 4. | 39,260 (3,020) | 2015 | 9-4 |
| 5. | 33,713 (2,809) | 2012 | 5-7 |
| 6. | 34,539 (2,657) | 1993 | 11-3 |
| 7. | 42,068 (2,475) | 2011 | 16-1 |
| 8. | 31,381 (2,414) | 1996 | 8-5 |
| 9 | 32,856 (2,347) | 1995 | 10-4 |
| 10. | 31,391 (2,242) | 1991 | 13-1 |
Illinois went 14-1 at home in 2014, winning the first 18 sets at Huff Hall before falling to No. 6 Wisconsin on Oct. 4. Illinois opened 2015 with three straight sweeps, as the Illini are now 95-24 in front of a home crowd since the start of 2008. All-but-two of those losses came to teams in the top 25, including three to the No. 1 team in the country.
Illinois ranked ninth in the nation in average crowd size and eighth in total attendance in 2014. Six of the top 11 teams in average attendance were members of the Big Ten, with Nebraska leading the nation at 8,083.
Crowds of 3,000-or more fans (season)
Year 3,000+ Crowds
1. 1992 11
2. 2015 8
3. 2014 7
4. 2013 5
2012 5
6. 2011 4
7. 1993 3
Illinois has had 52 home matches in program history with a crowd of 3,000 fans or more, including eight matches this season, which ranks second all-time in program history.
Illinois has had at least five home matches with over 3,000 fans in each of the past four seasons. Until this season, the seven 3,000+ crowds in 2014 were second only to the 1992 season, when 11 of the Illini's 17 home matches featured crowds of 3,000 or more. The 2015 Illini come in second place all-time in programy history with eight contests with crowds of 3,000 or more.
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. 4,536 Wisconsin 10/4/2014
5. 4,316 Stanford^ 12/11/1992
6. 4,261 Purdue 10/1/2011
7. 4,211 Ohio State^ 12/3/1992
8. 4,141 Penn State 9/24/2010
9. 4,123 Nebraska^ 12/10/1992
10. 4,050 Ohio State 10/18/1991
4,050 Penn State 11/27/1992
12. 4,021 Michigan State 10/15/2011
13. 3,997 Penn State 10/9/2015
14. 3,905 Penn State 11/11/2011
15. 3,873 Purdue 10/25/2014
16. 3,770 Iowa State 8/31/2012
17. 3,632 Purdue 11/16/2013
18. 3,607 Rutgers 11/14/15
19. 3,538 Washington 9/13/2013
20. 3,513 Michigan State 10/24/1992
^NCAA Tournament; *held at State Farm Center
YET ANOTHER CHALLENGING SLATE AWAITS ILLINI
In 2013, the Fighting Illini played the most challenging schedule of any team in the NCAA that season, and arguably one of the most difficult slates ever. The Illini followed that year with the 12th-most-difficult schedule in 2014, including playing eight matches against teams that finished the season ranked in the top eight.
2015 figures to be just as exciting as the last two, as Illinois has 10 of this week's top 25 on its schedule for a total of 14 matches, including facing No. 4 Minnesota, No. 5 Nebraska, No. 6 Stanford, No. 8 Penn State, No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 14 Ohio State, No. 17 Purdue, No. 18 Louisville and No. 22 Kentucky. Additionally, the Illini have taken on Creighton, Michigan, Colorado, Arizona State and Wichita State, who are all receiving votes in this week's poll.
O&B SWEEP THROUGH ILLINI CLASSIC
For the second straight season, the Fighting Illini opened the season by sweeping through their home tournament and going a perfect 9-0 in sets to capture the Illini Classic crown. Illinois took down Louisville, Miami (Ohio) and Creighton in straight sets for a flawless opening weekend.
Junior Michelle Strizak was named Most Valuable player, after hitting .448 with 33 kills (4.71 k/s) to go along with six digs and three blocks. Fellow pin hitters Ali Stark and Jocelynn Birks joined her on the seven-player All-Tournament team. Birks led the Illini with 37 kills on the weekend to go with 16 digs and three blocks, including hitting a career-high .500 with 16 kills against Miami. Stark posted 18 kills, 21 digs and six blocks on the weekend, including going 14-0-30 (.467) over the pair of matches on Saturday.
ILLINI TRIO GARNER B1G WEEKLY AWARDS
After the opening week of competition, Michelle Strizak, Brandi Donnelly and Jordyn Poulter took home Big Ten weekly awards. Strizak earned her first career Big Ten Player of the Week award; Donnelly was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the first time after garnering three Freshman of the Week awards in 2014, and Poulter became the third Illini since the award began in 2009 to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after her first career match. The threesome also became the first Illini trio to take home weekly awards on the same week since the expansion to three awards in 2009.
FIGHTING ILLINI AT THE B1G/PAC-12 CHALLENGE
For the second-straight season, Illinois has taken part in the B1G/Pac-12 Challenge, which features a pair of teams from each the Big Ten and Pac-12. After falling to both UCLA and Stanford last season out in California, the Fighting Illini headed to University Park, Pennsylvania, for round two this season.
After taking the opening set against No. 2 Stanford by a 25-16 tally, Illinois fell in the next three sets to drop the opener 3-1. The Illini came back strong the next day and picked up their first B1G/Pac-12 Challenge victory over No. 21 Colorado in a quick three-set sweep.
SHOCKER CLASSIC
In most recent action at the Shocker Classic, Illinois saw action against a trio of non-conference opponents. First up was 21st-ranked Kentucky, who the Fighting Illini took care of in three sets, despite being down at set point in the opening set for the first time on the season.
Against South Dakota State, Illinois did something that they hadn't done since the NCAA Tournament last season, when they held the Jackrabbits to single digits in the second set.
The match against Wichita State marked Illinois' first away contest of the season. While the Shockers swept 21st-ranked Kentucky the night prior, the hosts were no match for Illinois, who picked up its fourth-straight win with the three-set sweep.
SUN DEVIL INVITATIONAL
Making the trip to Tempe, Arizona, UI faced a trio of opponents at the Wells Fargo Arena. The Illini came out with wins against Texas Southern (3 sets) and UNLV (4 sets). Despite forcing five sets with the host Sun Devils, the Orange and Blue couldn't hold off ASU and fell by a line of 25-23, 19-25, 11-25, 25-15 & 11-15.
NO. 1 RECRUITING CLASS HITS THE COURT IN '15
On May 28, 2015, PrepVolleyball.com released its annual recruiting class rankings, staking the claim that the Illini's incoming freshman class, featuring No. 3 Jordyn Poulter, No. 10 Ali Bastianelli and No. 52 Beth Prince, is projected to be the most talented group of recruits in the country. The ranking marked the fourth time during Kevin Hambly's tenure on staff that the Illini have brought in a top-10 class and the highest-rated class in program history.
Poulter and Bastianelli were named opening day starters and turned heads at the Illini Classic. Poulter led the Illini to a .414 hitting percentage against Miami, then tallied her second straight double-double against Creighton with 34 assists, 10 digs, four kills and two solo blocks.
The freshman duo tied for the team lead with five block assists on opening night against Creighton, as Bastianelli finished the Illini classic with a team-high 11 blocks and six kills over three straight sweeps.
The 2011 National Freshman of the Year according to both ESPN and PrepVolleyball.com, Prince has yet to don the Orange and Blue, having been sidelined during the Illini Classic with an injury. An Under Armour High School All-American, she was one of just two athletes in her class nationally to be rated a PrepVolleyball.com All-American four years in a row.
ILLINI RANKED PRESEASON NO. 8
After going 26-8 with a repeat trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2014, expectations are again high for the 2015 Fighting Illini. Returning a majority of their starters and bringing in the top recruiting class in the nation, Illinois received the No. 8 ranking the AVCA Preseason Poll. The top-10 mark is the highest for the Illini since 2012, when the NCAA National Runner-Up gained a No. 7 preseason rank, the fourth-straight top-10 rank for the Illini under Hambly.
The No. 8 ranking marks the 11th time that Illinois has been ranked in the top 10 in the first AVCA poll of the season. Illinois' highest opening rank came on Sept. 6, 1988, when the AVCA placed the Illini at No. 2 on the first week of the season following their first-ever trip to the NCAA Semifinals.
Illinois appeared in the top 25 of the AVCA's first poll every season from 1986 to 1994, resurfaced at No. 14 in 1999 then at No. 19 in 2002 and 2004. The Illini have been ranked in the preseason top 25 in all-but-one season under Hambly, having received votes in 2013, with five top-10 projections in his seven seasons. The 2015 preseason ranking marks the Illini's 18th year beginning the schedule in the top 25.
After sweeping on opening weekend, Illinois jumped up two spots to No. 6, marking the highest ranking for the Illini since finishing the 2011 season at No. 2.
OPENING NIGHT SUCCESS
The Illini have had tremendous success on opening night, going 32-10 all time in the first match of the season. Illinois has lost just one season opener since 1999, starting the new millennium with a 12-match winning streak from 2000-2011, before dropping the 2012 lid lifter at Dayton. Illinois swept Louisville to start this season.
Illinois is even more successful in home openers, going 36-6 all time in the first home match of the year. The Illini have not lost a home opener in over two decades; after falling to No. 18 New Mexico on Sept. 9, 1994, the Orange and Blue have won their last 21 straight home openers. Since making the move to Huff Hall in 1990, Illinois is 25-1 in the first home match of the season.
BIRKS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
Illinois senior outside hitter Jocelynn Birks was unanimously named Preseason All-Big Ten, as voted on by the Big Ten coaches. A two-time All-Big Ten selection, Birks claimed her third-straight preseason honor.
Birks enters her third-straight season on the Preseason All-Big Ten list after earning AVCA All-America Second Team and a unanimous All-Big Ten selection last fall. On pace to become the Illini's all-time kills leader, she led the Big Ten in kills, kills per set, points, points per set and double-doubles as a junior while recording her third consecutive 500-kill performance.
Birks was one of just two Big Ten players to capture her third Preseason All-Big Ten nod, joining Penn State senior Megan Courtney.
HAMBLY PRODUCES ALL-AMERICANS
Illinois has 27 All-America honors among 17 players in school history. Nine of those players earned 15 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 Tennant and Johannah Bangert both earned All-America honors under Hambly as well. Senior Jocelynn Birks is a two-time All-American, following up a 2013 Third Team honor with a Second Team award in 2014.
