University of Illinois
Georgia Tech
No. 17 Illini Volleyball Set to Open Season at Ole Miss Invitational
August 26, 2022 | Volleyball
| ILLINOIS (0-0) at Ole Miss Invite // August 27-28 // Gillom Center // Oxford, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
| Match 1: No. 17 Georgia Tech (0-0) | Saturday, Aug. 27 | 3 p.m. CT | No Video | Radio | Live Stats |
| Match 2: at Ole Miss (0-0) | Sunday, Aug. 28 | 1 p.m. CT | SECN+ | Radio | Live Stats |
| Tickets | Free Admission |
| Printable Notes | Illinois | Ole Miss | Georgia Tech |
| Series History | Georgia Tech: Illinois leads, 4-0 | Last Match: Illinois won, 3-0, on 9/12/1997 | Streak: Won 4 | Results Ole Miss: Illinois leads, 2-0 | Last Match: Illinois won, 3-1, on 9/1/2006 | Streak: Won 2 | Results |
| Shop | Online Store |
| Social Media | @IlliniVBall  | #Illini | @IlliniVBall  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
WELCOME TO THE 2022 VOLLEYBALL SEASON
The Illinois volleyball opens its 2022 season on the road in Oxford, Miss., for the Ole Miss Invitational from August 26-28. The Illini will kick off the season against No. 9 Georgia Tech at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Aug. 27 and will then play host Ole Miss at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28.
The 2022 season marks the 49th season of Illinois volleyball, with the Illini holding an overall record of 1,034-595-7 (.632) and a mark of 468-297 (.612) in the Big Ten.
Saturday's neutral match vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech will not have a stream while Sunday's contest at Ole Miss will air live on SEC Network+.
Saturday's match will be an internet-only audio stream on FightingIllini.com/watch while Sunday's action can be caught online or live in Champaign on WDWS 1400AM & 93.9FM.
ILLINOIS VS. THE FIELD
The Illini have played five matches collectively against this weekend's competition and won all five of those contests.
Illinois leads in the all-time series with the season-opening opponent, Georgia Tech, with the Illini taking a 3-0 win in the last meeting between the two schools on September 12, 1997, in Chicago.
Illinois leads the all-time series with Ole Miss, 2-0, and last earned a 3-1 victory over the Rebels on September 1, 2006, in the Marquette Kickoff Tournament.
ILLINI PICKED 6TH IN B1G PRESEASON POLL
Illinois volleyball was picked to finish tied for sixth in the league standings in 2022, the conference announced on August 1. Reigning national champion Wisconsin was picked as the conference favorite for the 2022 volleyball season as voted on by the Big Ten coaches, while Nebraska was picked to finish second and Minnesota was tabbed third. Ohio State and Penn State rounded out the top five while the Illini tied with Michigan at sixth.
ROSTER RUNDOWN
The Illini will carry a squad of 16 student-athletes for the 2022 campaign, including 10 letterwinners from 2021 and four newcomers.
Diana Brown is the team's lone redshirt senior while Kennedy Collins, Rylee Hinton, Kyla Swanson and Jessica Nunge round out the seniors. Preseason All-B1G pick Raina Terry is listed as the Illini's lone junior.
Underclassmen include a pair of redshirt sophomores in Sophie Gregus and Maddie Whittington. Illinois has three sophomores including Caroline Barnes, Kayla Burbage and Becca Sakoda. Sarah Bingham and Brooke Mosher are the Orange and Blue's redshirt freshmen while Cari Bohm, Bianca May and Sophie Stephenson round out the squad as the true freshmen.
HEAD COACH CHRIS TAMAS STARTS SIXTH SEASON AT THE HELM
Chris Tamas is entering his sixth season as head coach of the Fighting Illini volleyball program in 2022 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 100-52 (.658), including a 59-39 (.602) mark in the nation's toughest volleyball league, the Big Ten Conference, as well as four NCAA Tournament appearances, including three NCAA Regional appearances and a trip to the Final Four in 2018.
Tamas most recently earned his 100th career win - with all 100 coming at the helm of the Illini program - after leading Illinois to its third trip to the Sweet 16 in five seasons after back-to-back wins to open the 2021 NCAA tournament.
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.
BREAKDOWN OF OPPONENTS FOR 2022 BIG TEN SLATE:
Home & Away – Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers, Wisconsin
Home Only – Iowa, Nebraska, Purdue
Away Only – Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State
The Illini begin their quest for a Big Ten Championship with a three-match homestand in Huff Hall against Maryland on September 23, Northwestern on September 24 and Purdue on September 30, before heading to Wisconsin on October 2 for their first conference road trip of the season. Illinois then wraps up league play, as well as the 2022 regular season, with a road trip to Northwestern on November 26.
The Illini are coming off of a 22-12 season in 2021, posting a 12-8 mark in the Big Ten and ranked No. 16 in the final AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. Illinois made its third NCAA Regional and fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in five seasons under head coach Chris Tamas after back-to-back wins to open the 2021 NCAA tournament, including a four-set win over 2020-21 National Champion and No. 7 seed Kentucky in Lexington.
Schedule Notes
• 29 total matches
• 10 matches at Huff Hall
• 14 away matches, five neutral-site matches
• Three non-conference tournaments
• Ranked in the final AVCA poll: 11 matches vs. 8 teams
• 2021 Conference Champions/Tournament Champions: 5 (Washington Dayton, Marquette, Illinois State, Wisconsin)
• NCAA Tournament:
- Qualifiers: 13 (Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Washington, Dayton, Illinois State, Marquette, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin)
- Sweet 16: 7 (Georgia Tech, Washington, Ohio State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Purdue, Wisconsin)
- Elite Eight: 5 (Georgia Tech, Minnesota, Nebraska, Purdue, Wisconsin)
- Final Four: 2 (Nebraska, Wisconsin)
- National Runner-Up: 1 (Nebraska)
- National Champion: 1 (Wisconsin)
• Season opener: August 26 vs. Georgia Tech in Oxford, Miss.
• Home opener & B1G opener: September 23 vs. Maryland
• B1G road opener: October 2 at Wisconsin
• NCAA Tournament First & Second Rounds: Dec. 1-3 at campus sites
• NCAA Tournament Regionals: Dec. 8-10 at campus sites
• NCAA Tournament Semifinals & Championship: Dec. 15 & 17 at CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb.
OPENING DAY/NIGHT SUCCESS
The Illini have had tremendous success on opening night, going 38-10 all time in the first match of the season. Illinois has lost just one season opener since 1999, starting the new millennium with a 12-match winning streak from 2000-2011, before dropping the 2012 lid-lifter at Dayton. Illinois opened its Big Ten Conference-only 2020-21 season with a 3-1 win at Iowa back on Jan. 22 in a unique spring season of Big Ten volleyball and most recently downed UC Santa Barbara in a five-set thriller last season.
Illinois is even more successful in home openers, going 39-9 all time in the first home match of the year. The Orange and Blue have won 22 their last 25 home openers. Since making the move to Huff Hall in 1990, Illinois is 27-4 in the first home match of the season.
The Illini's 2022 home opener won't come until Big Ten action arrives on Sept. 23 when Maryland comes to town.
VOLLEYBALL RANKED 17TH IN AVCA PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Coming off a 2021 season that saw Illinois volleyball reach the Sweet 16 for the third time in five years under head coach Chris Tamas, the Orange and Blue open the 2022 campaign ranked No. 17 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Preseason Poll, the organization announced today.
The Illini, who finished last season with a 22-12 overall record and a seventh place finish in the Big 10, will return 12 members from the 2021 squad and welcome in newcomers Cari Bohm, Kayla Burbage, Bianca May and Sophie Stephenson.
Illinois is joined by six other Big 10 schools in the AVCA Preseason Poll, ranked behind No. 1 Nebraska, No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 5 Minnesota, No. 7 Ohio State and No. 13 Purdue and ahead of No. 20 Penn State. Additionally, Michigan is receiving votes.
Joining their conference foes are two Top-10 opponents, No. 8 Washington and No. 9 Georgia Tech. Dayton and Marquette are opponents that are receiving votes.
No. 17 Illinois opens the 2022 season against No. 9 Georgia Tech on Saturday, August 27, in Oxford, Miss., in the Ole Miss Invitational.
BIG TEN VOLLEYBALL TV SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED
Illinois volleyball will air six times across two networks during the 2022 season, the Big Ten Conference office announced on Monday (August 1). Five matches will air on BTN, with one match airing on ESPN.
Illinois on TV (all time central):
Wednesday, Oct. 12 vs. Rutgers | 7 p.m. CT // ESPNU
Saturday, Oct. 15 at Minnesota | 3 or 7 p.m. CT // BTN
Wednesday, Oct. 19 at Ohio State | 5 p.m. CT // BTN
Saturday, Oct. 22 vs. Nebraska | 7 p.m. CT // BTN
Wednesday, Oct. 26 vs. Penn State | 6 p.m. CT // BTN
Thursday/Friday, Nov. 3/4 vs. Wisconsin | TBD // BTN
The Big Ten Conference has taken another step in its elevation of women's sports and the sport of volleyball, as the conference announced that a record-setting 55 Big Ten volleyball matches will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network, ESPN2, ESPNU and FS1. The announcement comes just before the start of the inaugural Big Ten Conference Volleyball Media Days at the BTN studios in Chicago, with the Big Ten becoming the first conference in the country to hold an in-person preseason volleyball media event.
ILLINOIS MAKES INAUGURAL TRIP TO B1G VOLLEYBALL MEDIA DAYS
For the first time in conference history, the Big Ten will hold Volleyball Media Days, consisting of players and head coaches from all 14 conference teams.
The inaugural two-day event is the first in-person preseason media session for collegiate volleyball, a move redshirt senior setter Diana Brown calls "a step in the right direction."
"I have always thought that volleyball deserved more attention," Brown said. "On a big stage, we can compete, and people want to watch it. And so to have the media day be expanded to volleyball, I think that it's a step in the right direction. I don't want to sound snooty and everything, but I think we deserve more."
Brown and senior middle blocker Kennedy Collins have the distinct honor of being the first Illinois student-athletes to represent their team and school at Media Days alongside head coach Chris Tamas.
Tamas enters his sixth season at the helm at Illinois and has guided the Illini to four NCAA tournament appearances, including a Final Four berth in 2018. Despite losing first-team All-Big Ten standout Megan Cooney and libero Taylor Kuper, the Illini are geared to return a strong roster heading into 2022.
Collins put together a career-best season in 2021, recording 277 kills, 13 service aces, 18 solo blocks, and 126 total blocks to go with a .336 hitting percentage. In her fourth season in the orange and blue, Collins sees it as an incredible opportunity to be able to represent the Illini on a bigger stage.
"I'm very excited to represent Illinois. I wouldn't want to represent any other school," Collins said. "Just being able to be one of the first ones to go to this media day means a lot to me, and I'm very excited to represent Illinois, just because we are a great school and a great program, and everyone around me is great. It just makes it even easier for me to want to represent us."
Brown also set new career highs in multiple areas, registering 28 service aces, nearly 1,300 assists, 300 digs, six solo blocks, 73 total blocks and a .302 hitting percentage.
As the eldest Illini, Brown takes added responsibility and accountability in being able to represent Illinois as an individual despite the fact that volleyball is a team sport.
"For two of us to be chosen, it was kind of odd because we normally give team answers and not individual answers," Brown said. "I think it is extremely cool to 1. have a Big Ten media day for volleyball and 2. to be the inaugural chosen ones. So, on that account, I think that is where I really like, take a step back. It's history, and it's really cool to be a part of that history, and to say that I represent this team, I feel very honored."
TERRY NAMED PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
Illinois volleyball junior Raina Terry was named to the 2022 Big Ten Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team as voted on by the Big Ten Conference coaches, with the Illini picked to finish in a tie for sixth in the league standings, the conference announced on Monday (August 1).
It is the first such honor for Terry, who was one of only two players to start all 34 matches and play in all 127 sets for the Illini during the 2021 season. Terry led the Illini with 441 kills for a 3.47 kills per set mark on a .160 hitting percentage, while also pacing the league and ranking second in the NCAA with 55 aces, which also sits second all-time in program history for service aces in a single season. She ranked 34th in the NCAA and fourth in the Big Ten with 530.0 points, while also totaling 263 digs, 61 blocks and 13 assists. She garnered Bluejay Invitational All-Tournament Team honors and Academic All-Big Ten accolades a season ago.
2021 National Champion Wisconsin was chosen as the conference favorite for the 2022 volleyball season as voted on by the Big Ten Coaches, with the Illini ranking in a tie for sixth with Michigan.
Illinois opens up the 2022 season with the Ole Miss Invitational in Oxford, Miss., on August 26-27.
