ILLINOIS (3-2) at Bluejay Invitational // Sept. 10-11 // D.J. Sokol Arena // Omaha, Neb.
Match 6: Omaha (2-3)	Friday, Sept. 10 // 10:30 a.m. CT // FloSports | Live Video // WDWS 1400 | Listen Live // Live Stats
Match 7: SMU (2-3)	Friday, Sept. 10 // 7 p.m. CT | FloSports | Live Video | WDWS 1400 // Listen Live | Live Stats
Match 8: #19 Creighton (6-1)	Saturday, Sept. 11 | 10:30 a.m. CT // FloSports | Live Video // Listen Live // Live Stats
Tickets	Buy Here
Printable Notes	Illinois | SMU | Creighton
Stats	Illinois | Omaha | SMU | Creighton
Series History	Omaha: Illinois leads, 2-0 | Last Match: Illinois won, 3-0, on 9/16/2016 | Streak: Won 2 | Results  SMU: First meeting Creighton: Illinois leads, 5-0 | Last Match: Illinois won, 3-1, on 9/15/2018 | Streak: Won 5 | Results
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Social Media	@IlliniVBall  | #Illini | @IlliniVBall  | Facebook | YouTube

FIRST SERVE | BLUEJAY INVITATIONAL

The Illinois volleyball team continues its nonconference slate this weekend with a trip to Omaha, Nebraska, for the Bluejay Invitational, hosted by Creighton in D.J. Sokol Arena on Sept. 10-11. 

The Illini open the tournament with a 10:30 a.m. CT match against Omaha on Friday (Sept. 10), before a 7 p.m. CT contest against SMU. UI then finishes off the weekend with a 10:30 a.m. CT meeting with host and No. 19 Creighton. 

All three matches will be streamed via subscription-based FloSports.

Both Friday matches will be on the radio on WDWS 1400 in Champaign and streamed on FightingIllini.com, with Saturday's contest an internet-only stream on FightingIllini.com.

The 2020-21 season marks the 48th season of Illinois volleyball, with the Illini holding an overall record of 1,015-585-7 (.634) and a mark of 456-289 (.612) in the Big Ten. 

ILLINOIS VS. THE FIELD

The Illini have faced off against the three teams at the Bluejay Invitational only a total of seven times in program history. 

The Illini have played against Omaha only twice in program history, with UI winning both meetings, including a 3-0 sweep on September 16, 2016 in the most recent meeting. Friday evening's match with SMU will be the first meeting between the two programs. 

The Illini own a 5-0 mark against host Creighton and last played the Bluejays during the historic 2018 season, taking a 3-1 victory on September 15 in Huff Hall at the Illini Classic Presented by Hyatt Place.

B1G/PAC-12 RECAP & WEEKEND STANDOUTS

Fans were once again back in Huff Hall this past weekend after 645 days since the final home match of the 2019 season. The Illini opened its 2021 home schedule with the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge, while also hosting the 10-year reunion for the Fighting Illini's 2011 National Runner-Up team as well as welcoming back alums and United States Olympic Gold Medalists Michelle Bartsch-Hackley, Jordyn Poulter and Erin Virtue on Friday.

The Illini battled against No. 11 Washington before dropping a 3-1 (15-25, 21-25, 32-30, 25-21) decision in their first home match in Huff Hall on Friday (Sept. 3) night.

Graduate student Megan Cooney led all players and was one of four Illini in double figures with 14 kills, while adding 10 digs for her sixth-career double-double. Joining her was junior Kennedy Collins with 13 kills, junior Jessica Nunge with 12 kills and sophomore Raina Terry with 11 kills to go along with a match-high four aces.

Redshirt-junior Diana Brown registered her 27th-career double-double – and her third in four matches this season – with 47 assists and a match-high 17 digs. Defensively, junior Kyla Swanson led with five blocks.

On Saturday (Sept. 4) afternoon, the Illini battled back from a two-set deficit, before dropping a five-set (21-25, 18-25, 25-16, 25-22, 18-16) heartbreaker to Colorado in its final match of the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge.

Cooney again led the Illini with team-highs of 15 kills on a .256 hitting percentage, six blocks and four aces, while adding nine digs. Collins and Terry each posted 12 kills, with Collins and sophomore Maddie Whittington – in her first-career action at Illinois – also adding five blocks in the contest.

Brown handed out 42 assists and seven digs, four blocks three kills on a .750 attack clip and two aces.

Defensively, senior Taylor Kuper led the way with her eighth-career 20-dig match with a team-high 21 digs to go along with three aces. As a team, the Illini totaled 15 aces against the Buffs (4-0), which ties for the fifth-most service aces in a match in program history.

On the weekend, Cooney registered a team-high 29 kills on a .211 hitting percentage, to go along with a team-high eight blocks, 19 digs and five service aces.

B1G/PAC-12 CHALLENGE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

For her efforts, junior Kennedy Collins was named to the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge All-Tournament team after totalling 25 kills, a team-high eight blocks and five digs in the two matches. It was her second All-Tournament Team honor in as many weeks. 

COONEY CLOSING IN ON CAREER MARKS

Graduate student Megan Cooney has been a stalwart in the Illini lineup since she has been a freshman - playing in 119 of 123 in her five years. 

After reaching the 1,000 kills mark a season ago on the road at Penn State, she is now closing in on even bigger marks of 1,200 kills and 300 blocks. Over the weekend, the Topeka, Kansas native hit 300 career digs and currently owns 308 in her five years at Illinois.

Heading into the Bluejay Invitational this weekend, Cooney is just 15 kills and 20 blocks away with 1,185 kills and 280 blocks. 

HEAD COACH CHRIS TAMAS STARTS 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 81-42 (.659), including a 47-31 (.603) 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, POULTER & VIRTUE HELP LEAD TEAM USA TO FIRST-EVER OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL 

A trio of former Illinois volleyball greats are now Olympic gold medalists as Michelle Bartsch-Hackley and Jordyn Poulter, along with USA Volleyball assistant coach Erin Virtue, helped lead Team USA to its first-ever gold medal in women's volleyball with a dominating 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 24-14) victory over Brazil at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

It marks the sixth medal earned by the United States in women's volleyball adding to its three silver medals (1984, 2008, 2012) and two bronze medals (1992, 2016).

Bartsch-Hackley and Poulter also become the first Illinois female athletes to earn gold medals and just the third and fourth Illini female athletes to medal at an Olympic Games following bronze medals from Tonya Buford-Bailey in the 400m hurdles at the 1996 Olympic Games and Aja Evans in bobsled at the 2014 Olympic Games.

The United States finished is tournament with a 7-1 record and dominated the playoff matches with sweeps in the quarterfinal, semifinal and championship rounds. For their efforts, five members of Team USA were named to the Olympic Dream Team, highlighted by Bartsch-Hackley being named the Best Outside Hitter and Poulter earning Best Setter of the tournament.

USA controlled the gold medal match from start to finish, with Bartsch-Hackley posting 14 points on 11 kills, two blocks and one ace, while adding three digs and 11 successful receptions. Poulter, who came back from an ankle injury suffered during pool play to set in the semifinals and finals, helped her team to a .418 hitting efficiency. She totaled 36 assists, six digs and one point with a kill.

Bartsch-Hackley was a three-time All-American for Illinois from 2008-11 and led the Illini to the national championship match in 2011. Poulter was also a three-time All-American, including earning first-team accolades as a senior in 2018 as well as being named Big Ten Co-Setter of the Year, AVCA Northeast Region Player of the Year and a finalist for the Honda Award and led the Illini to the program's fourth-ever NCAA National Semifinal appearance. Virtue, who joined the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team as a consultant coach in 2017 and moved into a full-time role with USA Volleyball in fall of 2018, was an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American setter during her time in the Orange and Blue from 2001-05.