Skip To Main Content

University of Illinois Athletics

2022 Volleyball Roster

Andy Wenstrand / Illinois Athletics
Andy Wenstrand / Illinois Athletics
Justin Shen / Illinois Athletics
Craig Pessman / Illinois Athletics

5 Diana Brown

  • Position Setter
  • Class Redshirt Senior
  • Height 6-0
  • Hometown Columbus, Ohio
  • High School St. Francis DeSales HS
  • Instagram dianabrown5
  • Twitter diana_E5

Biography

NCAA Badge NCAA Final Four 2018
USA Button 2x CSC Academic All-American
Graduation Badge University of Illinois Graduate
Big Ten Logo white All-Big Ten Freshman Team
Trophy Badge 3x CSC Academic All-District

NIL Opportunities

Redshirt-Senior - 2022

  • CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team
  • CoSIDA Academic All-District
  • Wayne Duke Scholarship Recipient 
  • Dayton Invite MVP
  • Big Ten Sportsmanship Award
  • Academic All-Big Ten
  • Oskees Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award
  • Started in all 30 matches
  • Led the team with 14 double-doubles during her senior season
  • Logged 1,101 assists during the year
  • Posted 50 or more assists on three-separate occasions against Minnesota (11/6/22) against Purdue (9/30/22) and at Wisconsin (10/2/22)…
  • Tallied a season-high 53 assists against Minnesota (11/6/22)
  • Posted a season-high 18 digs twice against Minnesota (11/6/22) and at Wisconsin (10/2/22)
  • Recorded four service aces against Villanova (9/10/22)
  • Logged a solo block against Northwestern (9/24/22) at Ohio State (10/19/22), against Purdue (9/30/22) and at Penn State (10/9/22)
  • Logged total blocks and block assists against Michigan State (11/18/22)
  • Amassed a pair of kills against Missouri State (9/9/22) and Maryland (9/23/22)

Redshirt-Junior - 2021

  • CoSIDA Academic All-America Second-Team
  • CoSIDA Academic All-District
  • Academic All-Big Ten
  • Big Ten Setter of the Week (9/20/21)
  • Redbird Classic MVP and All-Tournament Team
  • Panther Invite All-Tournament Team
  • Started all 34 matches on the season at the setter position, playing in all 127 sets - only one of two players to do both on the team.
  • Totaled 1,310 assists for a 10.31 assists per set mark to rank sixth in the Big Ten while leading the Illini to a .229 team hitting percentage.
  • Ranked second on the team with 309 digs and fourth on the team with 75 blocks, while adding 51 kills and 28 service aces.
  • Led all Illini players with 16 double-doubles.
  • Led Illini to a .319 hitting percentage with 105 assists for a 13.13 assists per set in the NCAA first and second rounds, registering a season-high 53 assists to go along with 14 digs and a career-high-tying three aces vs. West Virginia (12/3/21). Then handed out 52 assists as she led the Illini to a .331 team hitting percentage, while also registering 16 digs for her 40th career double-double and 16th of the season at Kentucky (12/4/21(.
  • Handed out 30 assists as she directed the Illini to a team hitting percentage of .333, while also turning in six dig, four blocks and three aces at Michigan Stat (11/26/21).
  • Guided Illini to a .327 hitting percentage with 39 assists, six digs and two kills vs. Maryland (11/21/21).
  • Directed the Illini to a season-high .383 team hitting percentage as she passed out 39 assists, while adding three blocks vs. Indiana (11/12/21).
  • Equaled a season-high with 52 assists as she directed the Illini offense to a .299 hitting percentage while also turning in nine digs at No. 13 Penn State (10/30/21).
  • Registered her 35th career double-double and team-leading 11th of the season with 46 assists and 10 digs at Rutgers (10/29/21).
  • Notched 38 assists to go along with 12 digs and a career-high-tying five blocks for her 34th-career double-double and her team-leading 10th of the season vs. Michigan (10/23/21).
  • Handed out 32 assists en route to directing the Illini to a .326 team attack clip, while also notching four blocks and a pair of service aces in a sweep of Iowa (10/13/21).
  • Tied a career-high with four blocks at No. 4 Wisconsin (10/9/21).
  • Notched 50 assists, 15 digs and four blocks in a win at No. 4 Purdue (10/1/21).
  • Posted a season-high 52 assists as she directed UI to a .336 team hitting percentage, while adding nine digs against Northwestern (9/25/21).
  • Posted her 29th career double-double and fifth of the season with 38 assists and a career-high 20 digs in a win at Iowa (9/22/21).
  • Registered 103 assists for a 11.44 assists per set mark to lead the Illini to a .319 team hitting percentage at the Redbird Classic, while adding 17 digs and six blocks.
  • Guided UI to a season-best .375 hitting percentage at Illinois State (9/17/21) after handing out 35 assists to go along with five digs and two blocks.
  • Handed out 111 assists en route to leading the Illini to a .229 team hitting percentage at the Bluejay Invitational, including back-to-back .306 attack clips against Omaha and SMU (9/10/21).
  • Passed out 39 assists, while also turning in 15 digs and two blocks for her fourth double-double of the season against No. 19 Creighton (9/11).
  • Registered her third double-double of the season with 47 assists, 17 digs, and one ace vs. No. 11 Washington (9/3/21).
  • Notched a season-high 47 assists and a career-high 17 digs vs. Washington (9/3/21).
  • Totaled 115 assists for a 10.45 assists per set, while adding 26 digs for a 2.36 digs per set, five kills on a .308 hitting percentage, four blocks and four service aces at the Panther Invite.
  • Notched her second double-double of the season with 35 assists, 10 digs, two aces, one solo block and a kill in a win over Valpo (8/28/21).
  • Opened the season with her 25th career double-double with 48 assists, 10 digs, two kills and an ace in a season-opening win against UCSB (8/27/21).

Redshirt-Sophomore - 2020-21 

  • CoSIDA Academic All-District First-Team
  • Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
  • Academic All-Big Ten
  • Oskees Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award (junior class)
  • Started all 18 matches for the Illini in the conference-only 2020-21 shortened season
  • Handed out 542 assists for a 7.63 assists per set mark, while also ranking second on the team with 190 digs
  • Led all Illini players with 10 double-doubles, while adding 29 blocks, 17 kills and 11 service aces
  • Registered her team-leading 10th double-double of the season with 46 assists and 14 digs, while also adding three blocks and three kills in a five-set win at No. 8 Purdue (4/3). 
  • Notched her fifth-straight double-double with 32 assists, team-highs of 10 digs and three blocks as well as posting three kills on a .500 attack clip, while also directing the Illini to their highest hitting percentage of the season with a .284 percentage vs. Indiana (3/26).
  • Registered a double-double with 48 assists and a career-high-tying 17 digs, while also contributing a match-high five blocks in a five-set win over Maryland (3/20/21).
  • Totaled 39 assists and a team-high 16 digs to go along with a pair of blocks in a win vs. Maryland (3/19/21).
  • Registered a double-double with 26 assists and a team-high 11 digs at No. 5 Minnesota (3/13/21).
  • Recorded a double-double with 53 assists and tied career-highs with 17 digs and five blocks at No. 5 Minnesota (3/12/21).
  • Passed out a season-high 32 assists, while adding eight digs and two blocks vs. No. 4 Nebraska (3/6/21).
  • Tallied a double-double with a season-high 26 assists to go with 13 digs vs. Ohio State (2/20/21).
  • Posted back-to-back double-doubles at Penn State (2/5-6/21) with 24 assists in both matches and 15 digs on Friday and 10 digs on Saturday. 
  • Registered her first double-double of the season with 24 assists and 12 digs vs. No. 1 Wisconsin (1/30/21).

Redshirt-Freshman - 2019 

  • Big Ten All-Freshman Team
  • B1G Co-Freshman of the Week (10/7)
  • Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
  • Academic All-Big Ten
  • Started all 30 matches on the season at the setter position, playing in all 118 sets - only one of three players to do both on the team.
  • Totaled 1,294 assists for a 10.97 assists per set mark to rank fourth in the Big Ten while leading the Illini to a .231 team hitting percentage.
  • Ranked second on the team with 275 digs and third on the team with 59 blocks, while adding 55 kills and 18 service aces.
  • Registered her team-leading 14th double-double with 53 assists, a team-high 11 digs, and three blocks against Utah (12/6) in the NCAA Tournament First Round.
  • Came within one dig of a double-double with 52 assists, nine digs and four blocks, while leading the Illini to a .297 team attack clip in a win over Northwestern (11/27)
  • Registered 12.14 assists and 2.71 digs per set, while adding three kills on a .500 hitting percentage and two blocks and directed the Illini to a .227 team hitting percentage in a weekend sweep at Maryland (11/22) and Ohio State (11/24). 
  • Handed out 38 assists en route to guiding the Illini to a .308 team hitting percentage over Rutgers (11/16).
  • Registered her 12th double-double of the season with 48 assists and a team-high 16 digs, while guiding the Illini to a .211 team attack clip at No. 8 Penn State (10/23/19).
  • Earned her second-straight and team-leading 11th double-double of the season with 50 assists and 14 digs at No. 7 Minnesota (10/20).
  • Handed out 31 assists en route to leading the Illini to a season-high .423 team hitting percentage to go along with a match-high nine digs.Earned her third-straight double-double after handing out 51 assists and notching 14 digs vs. No. 6 Minnesota (10/9).
  • Earned Big Ten Conference Co-Freshman of the Week after posting back-to-back double-doubles in wins at Indiana (10/4) and No. 17 Purdue (10/6) en route to totaling 82 assists for a 11.71 assists per set mark on the weekend, while also registering 24 digs for a 3.43 digs per set average, eight blocks, three service aces and three kills on a .273 hitting percentage with no errors.
  • Notched a career-high five blocks to go along with 51 assists, 13 digs, two kills and an ace in a win over  the Boilermakers (10/6).
  • Posted a career-high six kills on a .385 hitting percentage, while handing out 38 assists in a sweep of Iowa (9/28).
  • Earned her team-leading sixth double-double of the season as she passed out 51 assists to go along with 11 digs and equaled a career-high with four blocks against No. 3 Nebraska (9/27).
  • Handed out 39 assists while also contributing five kills on a .400 percentage, four digs and three blocks in a win over Pacific (9/20).
  • Turned in 52 helpers, 10 digs and four blocks in a win over No. 7 Marquette (9/14/19). 
  • Totaled 25 assists and was the co-leader on the team with 14 digs at Illinois State (9/13/19).
  • Earned her third-straight double-double with 57 assists and a career-high 17 digs to go along with three blocks against No. 16 Washington (9/6/19). 
  • In her Illini debut over opening weekend, Brown notched back-to-back double-doubles with 65 assists, 15 digs, three kills, three aces and two blocks in a road win at Tennessee (8/30), before posting 42 assists and 11 digs, to go along with four kills and three blocks in UI's home opener vs. Tennessee (9/1).

Freshman - 2018

  • Used the season as a redshirt year.

High School

  • Earned 2017 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Under Armour Second-Team All-America accolades
  • PrepVolleyball.com Senior Ace No. 45
  • Two-time Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association (OHSVCA) First-Team All-Ohio honoree
  • Earned OHSVCA Second-Team All-Ohio accolades in 2015
  • Co-Central Ohio District Player of the Year in 2017 and 2015
  • Four-time All-Central District
  • Four-time First-Team All-Central Catholic League
  • Led her SFDHS team to the State Final Four in 2014, the Final Eight in 2015 and back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances in 2016 and 2017
  • Three-time Central Catholic League Champions with SFDHS
  • Four-year member of the Mintonette Sports National Team, where she led her team to a USAV National Championship in 2013 and a runner-up finish in 2015, earning All-Tournament Team honors along the way
  • Four-time honor roll student, two-time National Honor Society honoree and President of National Honor Society in 2017.

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 2

    2018Freshman

    Setter
    6'0"
    2
  • 5

    2019Redshirt Freshman

    Setter
    6'0"
    5
  • 5

    2020-21Redshirt Sophomore

    Setter
    6'0"
    5
  • 5

    2021Redshirt Junior

    Setter
    6'0"
    5
  • 5

    2022Redshirt Senior

    Setter
    6'0"
    5