Nearly a month ago, former Illini volleyball stars Jordyn Poulter, Michelle Bartsch-Hackley and Erin Virtue made world history. By sweeping Brazil on the final day of the Tokyo Olympics, the three Illini helped Team USA to its first ever women's volleyball gold medal.

On Friday night, the three Olympians will be welcomed back to Huff Hall ahead of Illinois volleyball's home opener. Head coach Chris Tamas, who has personal relationships with all three former Illini, is excited for the team and the community to honor Poulter, Bartsch-Hackley and Virtue.

"A lot of people in this area care about volleyball and care about them and they got to see their journey," Tamas said. They know they all played here, so I think there's just a lot of pride in what those three did for USA volleyball. We know it's about the team and everything else, but it's always cool when of your own goes out there and does something well and we had three of our own do something well. So, it was really cool to see."

The former Illini were instrumental in the Olympic run. Virtue, a 2003 All-Big Ten setter, works as an assistant coach for Team USA as the offensive coordinator and setter's coach. Poulter, who led the 2018 Illini to a Final Four run on an All-American season, was Team USA's starting setter for most of the Olympics. And Bartsch-Hackley, an All-American hitter in 2011 while helping the Illini to a NCAA National Runner-Up spot, dominated in Tokyo as the Olympics' best outside hitter.

Poulter and Bartsch-Hackley not only made history with Team USA, but they also became the first Illini female athletes to win a gold medal.

"I think the best thing about the group that we chose is just how they played together," Virtue said. "Certainly, Michelle and Jordyn Poulter made a huge impact on that. And obviously, we don't make any decisions with where they played or anything like that, but the fact that there were two Illini athletes and an Illini coach, that was really special to kind of see it in the end. I was really proud of them."

While neither of the three played together at Illinois, they all developed close relationships way before the 2020 Olympic team assembled.

Virtue first met Poulter as a high schooler when she was a coach of the U20 National Team that Poulter played on. Bartsch-Hackley and Virtue were connected through Illinois as they shared a similar coaching staff. But Poulter's and Bartsch-Hackley's relationship had the most history as Bartsch-Hackley remembers a 12-year-old Poulter going to Illinois volleyball camps.

That longstanding connection was noticeable throughout the gold medal run as the on-court chemistry between Poulter and Bartsch-Hackley fueled a strong offense.

"It's just really cool. Having someone close to home, being away from home is great," Bartsch-Hackley said. "And I love Poulter. So it was just a great time and for both of us to be playing and starting was also really special. We had a huge impact on the team, I think, just with the two of us being on the court."

While Virtue, Poulter and Bartsch-Hackley all had very different experiences as Illinois volleyball players, they've all found success following college.

All three, along with Tamas, believe the volleyball program in Champaign attracts not just good players, but good people. And, the community that surrounds them is full of people who care about the players and team, making it easy to have something to play for.

Virtue experienced that firsthand with former Illini coach Kevin Hambly, who now coaches at Stanford and former assistant coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg, who is the current head coach at Ohio State.

"They helped fuel the flame for athletes that wanted to be good after college," Virtue said. "And I think that in choosing a place if you're a young High School player, who has ambitions to be an Olympian, that's a really important piece that the final stage is not to get to just the Final Four and be really good in college, but to be good beyond. It takes special people to know what that looks like and know how to how to help you get there."

Bartsch-Hackley, who was also coached by Hambly and Oldenburg, echoed the same sentiments. She also feels the culture she saw at Illinois mirrored that of Team USA, making it easy for her and later on, Poulter, gel with the group.

"I think just Illinois in general does a great job of recruiting great people," Bartsch-Hackley said. "And that's a little bit what the national team is like as well. You can be a star player and you can be amazing, but if you aren't caring about the people around you, then it's hard for you to stay around. And I think with my own experience, we worked on our culture a lot and just caring about other people and learning the effect that you have on people and just learning how to maintain that through playing high level volleyball, I think Illinois does a great job of doing that."

Tamas has continued that tradition of bringing good people to the program, according to Poulter, who also learned a lot about playing at the next level from Tamas, his wife Jen and former Illini assistant Alfee Reft.

While all three Olympians are excited to watch the 2021 volleyball team, they're also eager to feel the nostalgia of Huff Hall, check out the football game on Saturday and see old friends as the 2011 Illinois team will also be honored this weekend.  

"Seeing friends, coaches, family, former teammates; cheering on the Illini, walking around campus, tailgating my first football game, going to the bars on Green Street, eating at The Bread Co., and just celebrating the 2011 team and our gold medal," Poulter said on what's she's looking forward to this weekend. "Needless to say, I am extremely excited."