University of Illinois
Penn State
No. 17 Volleyball Set to Wrap Road Swing at No. 8 Penn State
October 22, 2019 | Volleyball
| at No. 8 Penn State, vs. Ohio State | |
|---|---|
| Match 18: No. 8 Penn State (14-3, 7-1 B1G) |
Wednesday, October 23, 2019 | 7 p.m. CT | Rec Hall | University Park, Pa. TV: BTN | Radio: WDWS 1400 | Livestats |
| Match 19: Ohio State (10-10, 3-5 B1G) |
Saturday, October 26, 2019 | 5 p.m. CT | Huff Hall | Champaign, Ill. TV: BTN Plus Radio: WDWS 1400 | Livestats |
| Full Match Notes | Illinois |
| 2019 Statistics | Illinois | Penn State | Ohio State |
| Series History | Penn State: Illinois trails, 11-45 | Last: Illinois won, 3-2, on 11/10/2018 | Streak: Won 1 | Results Ohio State: Illinois leads, 43-41 | Last: Illinois won, 3-1, on 11/2/2018 | Streak: Won 4 | Results |
| Tickets | To Purchase: Penn State | Ohio State |
| Social Media | @IlliniVball  | #Illini | Facebook  | @IlliniVBall  | YouTube 
|
ILLINOIS VS. THE FIELD
The No. 17 Illinois volleyball team wraps up one of the toughest three-match road swings of the season with a midweek match at Penn State on Wednesday (October 23) in Rec Hall at 7 p.m. CT in University Park, Pa., before returning to Huff Hall for Pink Night against Ohio State on Saturday (October 26) at 5 p.m. CT.
The Illini trail the all-time series with the Nittany Lions, 11-45, but are coming off a five-set win - the first win over Penn State since 2014 - in last season's only meeting in front of a sold out Huff Hall crowd on November 10, 2018.
The Illini lead the series with the Buckeyes, 43-41 and have won four-straight - including the lone meeting of the season in a 3-1 victory in Columbus on November 2, 2018.
NCAA RPI RANKING
Illinois comes in at No. 32 in the latest NCAA RPI ranking after debuting in the first RPI of the season on October 14 ranked 22nd nationally and 24th in last week's rankings.
ILLINI FIGHT IN WISCONSIN/MINNESOTA ROAD TRIP
The Illinois volleyball team battled with No. 6 Wisconsin on Friday (October 18) night, before falling in a five-set thriller (12-25, 25-18, 25-23, 21-25, 4-15) in the Wisconsin Field House.
The Illini then took on No. 7 Minnesota the following evening, falling in a 3-1 (16-25, 22-25, 25-22, 23-25) setback on Saturday (October 19) night, falling just short from pushing the match to a decisive fifth set in Maturi Pavilion.
LAST WEEK STANDOUTS
Junior Morgan O'Brien was a standout defensively and registered back-to-back 25-dig outings for a 5.56 digs per set average in matches against the Badgers and Gophers.
Redshirt-freshman Diana Brown passed out 98 assists for a 10.89 helpers and also added 27 digs for a 3.00 digs per set mark en route to registering back-to-back double-doubles.
Freshman Kennedy Collins had a impressive night at the net against the Gophers with a career-high 10 blocks.
Offensively, senior Jacqueline Quade (33 kills) and junior Megan Cooney (30 kills) once again paced the Illini.
ILLINI CLOSING IN ON PROGRAM'S 1,000TH WIN
The Illinois volleyball program entered the 2019 season with an overall record of 989-558-7 (.639) in 45 seasons and with nine wins so far in the 2019 campaign, the Illini are just two wins from the historic 1,000th victory in program history with a 998-566-7 (.638) record.
ILLINI IN PROGRAM RECORD BOOK
With a .397 career hitting percentage in her two seasons as an Illini, senior Ashlyn Fleming ranks second all-time in program history, sitting behind Illinois Hall of Famer Mary Eggers with a .421 attack clip. Fleming has registered 389 kills with 88 errors on 758 swings in 60 matches played.
Joining her in the record book is classmate Jacqueline Quade, who's 4,196 attacks rank seventh all-time in program history.Quade also sits ninth in kills (1,595) and points (1,791.0).
ILLINI RANKED NO. 17 IN AVCA POLL
The Illinois volleyball team remained in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coaches Top 25 Poll for the ninth-straight week, coming in at No. 17 for the third-straight week in this week's rankings. The Illini opened the season with a No. 6 preseason ranking, before moving up one spot for a season-high ranking of No. 5 the following week.
Illinois is one of six Big Ten schools ranked the AVCA Poll, including No. 5 Nebraska, No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 7 Minnesota, No. 8 Penn State and No. 20 Purdue, while Michigan is also receiving votes. Along with their conference foes, the Illini have faced two other opponents in the top-25, including No. 11 Marquette and No. 9 Washington.
HEAD COACH CHRIS TAMAS IN THIRD SEASON AT THE HELM OF ILLINI VOLLEYBALL
Chris Tamas is in his third season as head coach of the Fighting Illini volleyball program in 2019 after being named to the position in February 2017. Tamas (pronounced Thomas) is the eighth head coach in Illinois history.
In his first two seasons at the helm of the program, Tamas made an immediate impact on Illinois volleyball and currently owns an overall record of 64-23 (.736), including a 33-15 (.688) mark in the nation's toughest volleyball league, the Big Ten Conference.
Illinois experienced one of its most successful seasons ever in 2018 under Tamas, who was named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Northeast Region Coach of the Year. The Illini made the program's fourth-ever appearance in the NCAA National Semifinals as the No. 3 overall seed in the tournament – riding a 17-match win streak into the Final Four - and ended the season ranked No. 3 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coaches Poll. The team registered a 32-4 overall record and finished in second place in the Big Ten Conference with a 17-3 mark, with the 32 victories ranking tied for fourth-most wins in school history.
ILLINI ADVANCE TO FOURTH-EVER NCAA FINAL FOUR IN HISTORIC 2018 SEASON
The Illini are coming off an historic 2018 season that saw the Orange & Blue make the program's fourth appearance in the NCAA National Semifinals after earning the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Illini ended the season with a 32-4 overall record – with the 32 wins ranking fourth-most in program history - and finished in second place in the Big Ten Conference with a 17-3 mark.
