University of Illinois
Michigan
No. 21 Volleyball Set for Saturday Match at Michigan
November 8, 2019 | Volleyball
| at Michigan | |
|---|---|
| Match 23: Michigan (16-7, 9-4 B1G) |
Saturday, November 9, 2019 | 6 p.m. CT | Cliff Keen Arena | Ann Arbor, Mich. Video: BTN+ | Radio: WDWS 1400 | Livestats |
| Full Match Notes | Illinois | Michigan |
| 2019 Statistics | Illinois | Michigan |
| Series History | Michigan: Illinois leads, 50-25 | Last: Illinois lost, 1-3, on 11/1/2019 | Streak: Lost 1 | Results |
| Tickets | Michigan |
| Social Media | @IlliniVball  | #Illini | Facebook  | @IlliniVBall  | YouTube 
|
ILLINOIS VS. THE FIELD
The No. 21 Illinois volleyball team next travels to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for a Saturday (November 9) meeting with Michigan in Cliff Keen Arena at 6 p.m. CT.
The Illini hold a 50-25 lead in the all-time series with the Wolverines, including a slim 18-17 record on the road. There will be just eight days between the first and second meetings between the two teams this season - with Michigan taking a 3-1 decision in the first meeting on November 1 in Huff Hall.
NCAA RPI RANKING
Illinois comes in at No. 40 in the latest NCAA RPI ranking after debuting in the first RPI of the season on October 14 ranked 22nd nationally.
ILLINI SWEEP HAWKEYES BEHIND COONEY'S STRONG PLAY
Illinois earned its second-straight sweep, taking a 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-15) victory over Iowa on Wednesday (November 6) night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Illini were paced by junior Megan Cooney with a match-high 17 kills on a season-high .667 hitting percentage after committing just one error in 24 swings.
Redshirt-freshman Diana Brown led the offense to a .323 team hitting percentage after passing out 40 assists to go along with a pair of blocks.
Defensively, junior Morgan O'Brien tallied a match-high 13 digs, with junior Taylor Kuper turning in 10 digs to go along with a career-high tying five aces.
ILLINI EARN HISTORIC 1,000 PROGRAM WIN AGAINST SPARTANS
The Illinois volleyball program entered the 2019 season with an overall record of 989-558-7 (.639) in 45 seasons and with its 11th win of the 2019 season on Saturday (November 2), earned its 1,000 win in program history. The Illini own a 1,000-568-7 (637) program record.
LAST WEEK STANDOUTS
Senior Jacqueline Quade paced the Illini offense over the weekend, totaling 28 kills for a 4.00 kills per set average and 18 digs for a 2.57 digs per set mark in matches against Michigan and Michigan State.
Joining Quade in a strong offensive outing was senior Ashlyn Fleming, who turned in 21 kills (3.00 kills per set) on a .500 hitting percentage, while also posting a team-high six blocks.
Redshirt-freshman Diana Brown handed out 89 assists for 12.71 assists per set and led the Illini to a .298 hitting percentage in the two matches.
Defensively, junior Morgan O'Brien notched 27 digs for a 3.86 digs per set mark, with Quade and sophomore Taylor Kuper adding 18 digs on the weekend as well.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Senior Jacqueline Quade leads with 20 career double-doubles, including seven during the 2019 season.
Redshirt-freshman Diana Brown paces the team with 12 double-doubles on the season, while junior Morgan O'Brien has one double-double on the season - the first of her career with 14 digs and 10 assists at Penn State on October 23.
ILLINI IN PROGRAM RECORD BOOK
Senior Jacqueline Quade is quickly moving up the Illinois volleyball record books, ranking sixth all-time in program history with 1,664 kills and is just five kills from moving into the top-five with Illinois Athletics Hall of Famer Nancy Brookhard sitting fifth with 1,669 kills. Quade also ranks fifth with 4,387 attacks and is seventh with 1,869.5 points in her four-year career.
With a .386 career hitting percentage in her two seasons as an Illini, senior Ashlyn Fleming ranks third all-time in progam history, sitting behind Illinois Hall of Famer Mary Eggers (1985-88) with a .421 attack clip and Kristen Gleis (1992) with a .386 attack clip and 457 kills. Fleming has registered 430 kills with 106 errors on 840 swings in 58 matches played.
Junior Morgan O'Brien also ranks sixth in program history with a 3.31 digs per set mark in her three seasons, while redshirt-freshman Diana Brown sits seventh with a 10.99 assists per set average in her first season on the court.
ILLINI RANKED NO. 21 IN AVCA POLL
The Illinois volleyball team remained in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coaches Top 25 Poll for the 11th-straight week, coming in at No. 21 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. 4 Wisconsin, No. 6 Minnesota, No. 7 Nebraska, No. 8 Penn State and No. 15 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. 10 Marquette and No. 14 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 67-25 (.728), including a 36-17 (.679) 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.
