| WEEK 12: NO. 25 ILLINOIS (16-9, 8-6 B1G) vs. INDIANA (9-17, 3-11 B1G) // VS. NO. 10 OHIO STATE (19-5, 9-5 B1G) |
| Match 26: Indiana |
Friday, Nov. 12 // 6 p.m. CT // Huff Hall // Champaign, Ill. |
| Match 27: #10 Ohio State |
Sunday, Nov. 14 // 12 p.m. // Huff Hall // Champaign, Ill. |
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Indiana: Illinois leads, 72-17 | Last Match: Illinois won, 3-1, on 3/27/2021 | Streak: Won 18 | Results
Ohio State: Illinois leads, 45-43 | Last Match: Illinois lost, 2-3, on 2/20/2021 | Streak: Lost 2 | Results |
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FIRST SERVE | WEEK 12
The Illinois volleyball team next wraps up its four-match homestand with a pair of matches in Huff Hall this weekend, starting with a Friday (November 12) night contest against Indiana at 6 p.m. CT, before taking on No. 10 Ohio State on Sunday (November 14) at 12 p.m. CT.
Both matches will be streamed on B1G+ ($) and broadcasted on the radio on WDWS 1400 in Champaign and streamed on FightingIllini.com.
The 2021 season marks the 48th season of Illinois volleyball, with the Illini holding an overall record of 1,028-592-7 (.634) and a mark of 464-295 (.611) in the Big Ten.
PROMOTIONS
MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT // FRIDAY VS. INDIANA
TRACEY MARSHALL REMEMBRANCE // SUNDAY VS. OHIO STATE
The Illinois volleyball team will honor former Illini Tracey Marshall, who passed away suddenly last year, on Sunday prior to the match. A member of the Illini volleyball program from 1996-99, Marshall was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 1998 and ranks in the top 10 in program history in multiple categories, including career kills, digs and points, while also holding the record for most double-doubles in a career (62) and a season (21).
ILLINOIS VS. THE FIELD
The Illini lead the all-time series with the Hoosiers, 72-17, with a 37-5 mark in home matches. The Illini have won 18-straight matches against IU, including sweeping both matches in last season's 2020-21 season in the spring.
The Illini are also leading in the all-time series with the Buckeyes, 45-43 and are 23-19 in Huff Hall. UI dropped both matches a season ago.
ILLINI RANKED NO. 25 IN AVCA POLL
For the second-straight week, the Illinois volleyball team came in at No. 25 in the AVCA Coaches Top 25 poll. The Illini entered the poll at No. 25 last week, marking the first time since 2019 season the Illini were ranked.
Illinois is one of seven Big Ten schools ranked in the AVCA Poll with No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 8 Minnesota, No. 9 Purdue, No. 10 Ohio State, No. 11 Nebraska and No. 15 Penn State joining the Illini.
Along with their conference foes, the Illini have faced two other opponents in the top-25, including No. 13 Washington and No. 23 Creighton.
ILLINI NO. 28 IN NCAA RPI RANKING
The NCAA released its fifth RPI of the season on Monday (November 8), with Illinois coming in at No. 28 in the ranking.
The Illini have or will face eight opponents that sit in the top 25, with 10 foes ranking in the top 50.
ILLINI WELCOME TWO IN ON SIGNING DAY 2021
The Illinois volleyball team and head coach Chris Tamas announced the signing of two student-athletes to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday (November 10), as Cari Bohm (Ann Arbor, Michigan) and Sophie Stephenson (Seattle, Washington) are set to join the Illini for the 2022-23 academic year.
Cari Bohm // Middle Blocker // 6-4
Notes: Plays for Legacy Volleyball Club … Named to the 2022 PrepVolleyball.com Top 150 list and the Class of 2022 Ultra Ankle JVA Watch List … Named to the 2018 and 2019 AVCA Phenom Watch List … Helped led her LVC to the AAU Nationals 2018 Open Bronze Medal … Team captain for her 2020 Legacy 16-1 club team … Participated in USA Volleyball's 2019 High Performance Winter Training Team and the 2020 High Performance Championships … Two-year varsity team caption for her Skyline High School team, where she helped lead team to the District and Regional Championship during her junior season … Helped lead SHS to the back-to-back Michigan SEC Conference Championships in 2020 and 2021 … Four-year student-athlete scholar and Honor Roll student.
Sophie Stephenson // Outside Hitter // 6-2
Notes: Plays for Washington Volleyball Academy (WVBA) ... Three-time Emerald Sound Conference (1A) All-League First-Team … Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) and Gesa Credit Union Athlete of the Week (March 18, 2021) … Four-year varsity starter for The Bush School, helping lead her team to a runner-up finish in the Emerald Sound Conference (1A) as a freshman … PrepVolleyball.com Recruit of the Week (August 20, 2020) … Helped WVBA 16 Adidas place Top 30 at the AAU Nationals … Earned The Bush School "Blue and White Award" during her junior season in 2020-21, which recognizes student-athletes "for being self-motivated and displaying outstanding energy, effort, and execution."
ILLINI FALL TWICE TO RANKED TEAMS
Illinois had its four-match win streak snapped on Thursday (November 4) night, dropping a 3-0 (20-25, 20-25, 21-25) decision to No. 9 Nebraska on 80's Night in Huff Hall.
The Illini were paced by sophomore Raina Terry with a match-high 12 kills on a .250 hitting percentage to go along with seven digs.
Redshirt-junior Diana Brown earned her 36th career double-double and her team-leading 12th of the season with 32 assists and 10 digs, with senior Taylor Kuper leading all players with a match-high 18 digs on the night.
Illinois outblocked the Huskers at the net, seven to six, with junior Kennedy Collins turning in a match-high four blocks, with redshirt-freshman Maddie Whittington and graduate student Cooney putting up three blocks each.
Illinois then suffered a 3-0 (22-25, 16-25, 14-25) setback against No. 11 Minnesota on Saturday (November 6) night in Huff Hall.
Collins led the Illini with 10 kills on a .450 hitting percentage to go along with two blocks, while Terry added nine kills and served up a match-high three aces on the night. Brown handed out 30 assists, with Kuper pacing the defense with 10 digs.
WEEK 11 STANDOUTS
Sophomore Raina Terry led the Illini with 21 kills and three service aces, with junior Kennedy Collins adding 17 kills on a .389 hitting percentage to go along with a team-leading six blocks.
Graduate student Megan Cooney added 16 kills, 14 digs and four blocks, with senior Taylor Kuper pacing the team with 28 digs for a 4.67 digs per set. Redshirt-freshman Maddie Whittington also turned in four blocks.
Redshirt-junior Diana Brown registered 62 assists for a 10.33 assists per set, while adding 13 digs and pair of blocks.
IRON WOMAN COONEY BECOMES ALL-TIME LEADER IN CAREER SETS
Graduate student Megan Cooney has been a stalwart in the Illini lineup since she has been a freshman - playing in 139 of 143 in her five years.
On October 29 at Rutgers, Cooney became the all-time leader in career sets played at Illinois and has currently played in 527 sets in her storied career. She passes Illinois Hall of Famer Mary Eggers' previous program record of 516 sets played that she established from 1985-88.
After reaching the 1,000 kills mark a season ago on the road at Penn State, she also recently moved over 1,400 kills and is seven digs away from 500 digs in her Illini career. Heading into this week's matches, Cooney currently sits at 1,411 kills, 493 digs and 329 blocks in her career.
STRONG ILLINI BLOCK IN BIG TEN PLAY
Since the start of Big Ten play, Illinois has outblocked its opponents in all but four matches and have outblocked seven of their last nine foes.
The Illini rank sixth in conference action with 2.39 blocks per set and have totaled the fourth most blocks in league action (136).
ILLINI IN NCAA & B1G RANKINGS
• Illinois is ninth the nation and leads the Big Ten in total service aces (186).
• Illinois ranks 14th in the nation and leads the Big Ten in service aces per set (1.92).
• Illinois is 54th in the NCAA in team total blocks (222.5).
• Illinois is 82nd in the NCAA in team kills (1,233).
• Illinois is 90th in the NCAA in blocks per set (2.29).
• Illinois is 94th in the nation in team assists (1,117).
• Sophomore Raina Terry is 16th in the NCAA and leads the Big Ten with 43 total aces and is 35th nationally and third in the conference with 0.44 aces per set.
• Senior Taylor Kuper ranks 34th in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten in aces (38) and is 77th in the nation and fifth in the Big Ten with 0.39 aces per set.
• Kuper ranks fifth the conference in digs per set (4.37) and is 57th in the nation and first in the Big Ten with 424 digs on the season.
• Terry also ranks 90th in the NCAA and is fifth in the conference with 381.0 total points on the season and is 72nd nationally and sits fourth in the Big Ten with 964 attacks on the season.
• Redshirt-junior Diana Brown ranks 2st in the NCAA and is second in the conference with 968 total assists, while also sitting 70th nationally and eighth in the Big Ten with 9.98 assists per set.
• Junior Kennedy Collins ranks 45th in the NCAA and fourth in the Big Ten with 107.0 total blocks.
KUPER HITS 1,000 CAREER DIGS, CLOSING IN ON ACES RECORD
A constant in the Illini lineup through her four years at Illinois, senior Taylor Kuper reached a career milestone in the Missouri match on Sept. 17 as she collected a match-high 18 digs, with her 14th dig of the match marking her 1,000 career dig. Kuper becomes the 16th Illini to reach that mark and is currently in seventh place in program history with 1,268 career digs.
The Lenexa, Kansas native also owns 159 career service aces and moved into third place in program history with four total aces in wins at Rutgers and No. 13 Penn State. Illini Hall of Famer Mary Eggers owns the all-time record with 180 aces from 1985-88, with Laura Bush (1987-90) sitting in second with 176.
HEAD COACH CHRIS TAMAS IN FIFTH SEASON AT THE HELM
Chris Tamas is in his fifth season as head coach of the Fighting Illini volleyball program in 2021 after being named to the position in February 2017. Tamas (pronounced Thomas) is the eighth head coach in Illinois history.
In his five seasons at the helm of the program, Tamas has made an immediate impact on Illinois volleyball and owns an overall record of 94-49 (.657), including a 55-37 (.598) mark in the nation's toughest volleyball league, the Big Ten Conference, as well as three NCAA Tournament appearances.
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.
BARTSCH-HACKLEY INDUCTED TO ILLINOIS ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2020
Former Illini great Michelle Bartsch-Hackley was one of 15 former Illini greats that were named to the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020. The class includes athletes and coaches from nine different sports and covers athletes from 1901 through 2013.
Bartsch-Hackley was one of the most well-rounded stars in Fighting Illini volleyball history. Bartsch-Hackley earned AVCA Third-Team All-America honors in 2010 and 2011 and Honorable Mention recognition in 2009 and was also selected to the Volleyball Magazine All-America First-Team in 2011. She was named First-Team All-Region and All-Big Ten in 2010 and 2011, was named the AVCA Mideast Region Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year and placed on the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2008, and was honorable-mention all-conference in 2009.
Bartsch-Hackley has been a U.S. National Team member since 2016 and is currently playing professionally in Istanbul. She helped lead Illinois to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen from 2008-10 and to the national championship match in 2011.
