No. 3 Nebraska & Iowa
Match 10: #3 Nebraska (8-1, 0-0 B1G)	Friday, September 27, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. CT | Huff Hall | Champaign, Ill. TV: BTN | Radio: WDWS 1400 | Livestats
Match 11: Iowa (6-5, 0-0 B1G)	Saturday, September 28, 2019 | 7 p.m. CT | Huff Hall | Champaign, Ill. Video: BTNPlus.com Radio: WDWS 1400 | Livestats
Full Match Notes	Illinois | Nebraska | Iowa
2019 Statistics	Illinois | Nebraska | Iowa
Series History	Nebraska: Illinois trails, 8-26-1 | Last: Illinois lost, 2-3, on 12/13/2018 | Streak: Lost 1 | Results Iowa: Illinois leads, 62-14 | Last: Illinois won, 3-0, on 9/28/2018 | Streak: Won 3 | Results
Tickets	To Purchase: Nebraska (Limited Tickets Available) | Iowa
Parking & Shuttle Information	Parking Information MTD Volleyball tranSPORT Shuttle | Shuttle Information  All fans can park & ride MTD's tranSPORT service for free from the Bielfeldt Athletic Admin Building to Huff Hall. Shuttle Schedule: Service begins 90 minutes prior to match and one hour after the completion of match
Social Media	@IlliniVball  | #Illini  | Facebook  | @IlliniVBall  | YouTube

PROMOTIONS

NEBRASKA | Friday, September 27, 7:30 pm | Huff Hall 

Stuff Huff & Blue Out - Help us STUFF HUFF and WEAR BLUE as the Illini take on the National Runner-Up, the Nebraska Cornhuskers! This is a match you don't want to miss! 

Giveaway - Free clear bags stuffed with a blue shirt for the first 300 students with iCard.

Ticket Deals - ** Premium match- no group rate pricing

IOWA | Saturday, September 28, 7 pm | Huff Hall 

Orange Out - WEAR ORANGE

Giveaway - Free orange tank tops for the first 300 students with iCard

BIG TEN OPENER

The Illinois volleyball team is set to open the Big Ten season at home in Huff Hall for the first time since 2014, taking on No. 3 Nebraska on Stuff Huff Night on Friday (September 27), before facing off against Iowa on Saturday (September 28). 

The Illini are 24-13 in Big Ten openers and have won their last six conference starters, including a 3-1 win at Purdue last season on September 21. 

ILLINOIS VS. THE FIELD

The Illini trail in the all-time series with Nebraska, 8-26-1 and 5-6 in home matches. The Illini and the Huskers met on three occasions in 2018, with each team winning on the road - including UI's first victory over the Huskers since 2014 after taking a 3-1 win in Lincoln on October 28 at the Devaney Sports Center, before the two teams squared off in the NCAA National Semifinals in Minneapolis on December 13. The Huskers would put together a come-from-behind five-set win over the Illini, before falling to Stanford in the National Championship match. 

The Illini hold a 62-14 advantage in the all-time series with Iowa and are 32-6 in Champaign. The Illini swept the Hawkeyes in the only meeting last season - exactly to the day that the two teams will meet this season, September 28, 2018.

ILLINI EARN SWEEP AT BULLDOG BRAWL

The Illinois volleyball team to a weekend sweep this past weekend as the Illini went 2-0 at the Bulldog Brawl in Indianapolis, earning a pair of 3-1 wins over Pacific and Loyola Marymount. 

The Illini registered a .291 team hitting percentage, while holding their opponents to a .112 attack clip. 

The Illini were strong from the baseline, posting 17 service aces, while also outblocking their foes, 22 to six on the weekend. 

For their efforts, Ashlyn Fleming and Megan Cooney were named to the Bulldog Brawl All-Tournament Team.

LAST WEEK STANDOUTS

Senior Ashlyn Fleming had a strong weekend for the Illini and was named to the Bulldog Brawl All-Tournament Team after totaling 21 kills and only committing three errors in 33 swings for a .545 hitting percentage. She also paced the team with 12 total blocks for a 1.50 stuffs per set mark and added two service aces and three digs in the two matches.

Also named to the All-Tournament Team was Megan Cooney, who totaled 24 kills and committing only three errors in 52 swings for a .404 hitting percentage to go along with seven blocks.

Junior Morgan O'Brien, who returned from injury that sidelined her last weekend, registered a team-high 35 digs for a 4.38 digs per set average, while also adding nine assists and four service aces.

Redshirt-freshman Diana Brown dished out 81 assists in the two matches for a 10.12 assists per set average, while also adding 11 digs, six kills on a .308 hitting percentage and three blocks on the weekend.

QUADE KILLING IT

Senior Jacqueline Quade has totaled 181 kills in 39 sets for the Illini in 2019 for a 4.64 kills per set average to lead the Big Ten and rank 16th in the nation.

ILLINI IN B1G RANKINGS

Several Illini are ranked in the top 15 in the Big Ten Conference statistics. 

Along with Jacqueline Quade ranking second in kills per set, redshirt-freshman Diana Brown sits eighth with 10.33 assists per set after handing out 403 helpers in 39 sets. 

Senior Ashlyn Fleming also ranks eighth with a .359 hitting percentage and is 13th with 1.15 blocks per set, while sophomore Taylor Kuper ranks sixth with a 0.42 service aces per set mark after totaling 16 through nine matches. 

ILLINI RANKED NO. 20 IN AVCA POLL

The Illinois volleyball team remained in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coaches Top 25 Poll for the fifth-straight week, coming in at No. 20 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. 3 Nebraska. No. 5 Penn State, No. 7 Minnesota, No. 13 Wisconsin and No. 15 Purdue, while Michigan and Indiana are also receiving votes. 

Along with their conference foes, the Illini have faced two other opponents in the top-25, including No. 8 Washington and No. 10 Marquette, with Colorado, and Tennessee also receiving votes.

the Illini have faced two other opponents in the top-25, including No. 8 Marquette and No. 10 Washington, with Colorado, Illinois State, UCF and Tennessee also receiving votes.

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 five wins so far in the 2019 campaign, the Illini are just six wins from the historic 1,000th victory in program history.

ROSTER RUNDOWN

The Illini return 10 members from the 2018 NCAA National Semifinal squad, including American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American Jacqueline Quade and All-Big Ten Second-Team honoree Ashlyn Fleming, who join classmates Beth Prince and Caroline Welsh for their senior season in Champaign. 

Juniors Megan Cooney, Morgan O'Brien, Kylie Bruder and Emily Hollowell, sophomore Taylor Kuper and redshirt-freshman Diana Brown complete the returning roster. 

Joining the squad for 2019 are Auburn sophomore transfer Mica Allison, redshirt-freshman Bruna Vrankovic and freshmen Kennedy Collins, Rylee Hinton, Kyla Swanson, Ellie Holzman, Alyssa Eske and Madison Chi. 

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.

Tamas made an immediate impact on Illinois volleyball in his first two seasons at the helm of the program and currently owns an overall record of 60-19 (.760), including a 29-11 (.725) 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.