CHICAGO – Representing the Orange and Blue in the Windy City, Illinois volleyball participated in the second-annual Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday. Head coach Chris Tamas enters his seventh season with the Fighting Illini, while senior outside hitter Raina Terry and redshirt sophomore setter Brooke Mosher made their Media Days debuts at the Big Ten Network Headquarters in Chicago.
After finishing in seventh place with a 10-10 conference record in 2022, the Illini are set to return nine players from last season's roster. Looking to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021, Illinois is in a good spot as it heads into the 2023 campaign.
Tamas, Mosher, and Terry covered a wide range of topics over the course of the day in Chicago, including Mosher's transition from outside hitter to setter, the importance of creating a significant home-court advantage in the loaded Big Ten Conference, the overall excitement heading into the season and more.
As the Illini prepare to begin their official preseason practices, here is a look back at several main talking points and takeaways from Illinois' appearance at Big Ten Volleyball Media Days.
Mosher moves from outside hitter to "more comfortable" setter positionÂ
After redshirting the 2021 season, Mosher made her Illinois debut last year as an outside hitter, a position she was not necessarily recruited to play. She took advantage of the opportunity, finishing with the Illini's second-most kills and third-most service aces.
Heading into the 2023 campaign, Mosher now has a firmly established role as a setter, allowing her to spend the entire offseason focused on getting re-acclimated to the position. Despite earning a spot on the All-Big Ten freshman team last year, Mosher does not want to put any added pressure on herself as she gets set to make her collegiate debut at setter later this month.
"The only thing I'm going to try to focus on is getting my leadership up," Mosher said. "That's really about it. I think it's a great opportunity for me to be able to lead this team and really get everyone going."
With the starting setter position locked up, Mosher will have to replace the production of four-year starter Diana Brown, who provided mentorship for Mosher during their two years together. Though there will be a new setter on the court, Mosher says she feels much more comfortable in that role and is eager to prove herself against some of the top teams in the country.
"I think the biggest challenge really is playing a different position," Mosher said. "It's definitely the position I'm a lot more comfortable with. It's the one I was recruited as, so I'm really excited to get into that role."
Mosher, Terry have spent hours together this offseason to develop chemistry
Terry has spent the first three seasons of her college career playing alongside Brown, though that will change heading into the 2023 campaign. Mosher and Terry spent time together on the court in 2022, though the former will transition into a different role this year.
The pair has spent hours working to develop chemistry both on and off the court, and Terry has the utmost confidence in the Illini setter heading into her senior season.
"I think Brooke is doing a great job. She's worked really hard all spring and all summer on her connections," Terry said. "I'm really confident in our connection that we have developed. It looks really good. I was never able to hit a shoot – it's a faster tempo ball; I'm more of a high-ball hitter – before we started working on it and it looks really good. With Brooke stepping in, we've developed that connection to where I'm comfortable running a little faster now. She's doing a great job."
Communication between the setter and hitters is an essential ingredient when it comes to creating a dynamic attack, and Mosher holds the key to unlocking that piece of the Illini offense. While Terry admits the duo struggled in the early stages of their on-court partnership, they have come a long way and will continue to improve their chemistry as the offseason progresses and the regular season approaches.
"At the start, it was not always pretty," Terry said. "We're trying to figure out everything, figure out the timing and figure out those little tweaks that you have to make, especially with a faster set. It took a while, but about halfway through the spring we really started to see that connection come along and it's come along a lot more in the summer."
Tamas, Illini student-athletes feel good about their newcomers, returning talent heading into the year
The Illini return several familiar faces from one season ago, while they also brought in four freshmen and one graduate transfer. That continuity is important, though Tamas says the team has a bit of a different feel than what he has experienced in past seasons.Â
"It's a really fun group to be around," Tamas said. "It's always a fun group, but I think this one specifically. They're very competitive in the gym. They really love one another and playing with each other on the court. They gel really well. It's kind of always been a staple of ours to be kind of feisty and to be competitive. I think you're gonna see that even more so this year and I'm just looking forward to it."
After ending the 2022 season with a 15-15 record, Illinois looks to move into the top six in the Big Ten standings following four consecutive seventh-place finishes. Despite losing a few key pieces due to graduation, the Illini brings back a large portion of their production, which includes Terry's leadership.
"I just try my best to lead by example, in practice every day, in the weight room, and when we're doing our conditioning," Terry said. "Those freshmen that have come in, they've done a great job living up to those expectations that we hold for each other, so they've done a really good job."
Illinois uses Huff Hall to its advantage when creating an intimidating atmosphere for visiting teams
The Illini have taken advantage when playing on their home court, sporting a 6-4 record at Huff Hall during the 2022 season, though all four losses came against ranked opposition and two defeats came in five sets. Multiple fellow student-athlete attendees listed Champaign as one of the most difficult places to play, and Mosher and Terry understand why.
The intimate atmosphere means fans are extremely close to the action. Spike Squad, the Illini student section at Huff Hall volleyball matches, plays a significant role in creating the hostile environment, a climate Terry thrives in.
"Spike Squad shows up every single game, and they are ready to go," Terry said. "They have our back 100%, and they give the opponent a tough time. That makes it really hard for them, but it makes it really fun for us."
Illinois will open its home schedule on Aug. 29, when the Illini take on Valparaiso at 6 p.m. CT. After not having any non-conference home competition in 2022, the Orange and Blue will host three out-of-conference opponents within the team's first four matches.
The Illini kick off their 2023 schedule in just over three weeks, with Illinois set to travel to DeKalb to take on Northern Illinois on Aug. 26.
