H AIL TO THE O RANGE // HAIL TO THE B LUE

Transcription

1 H AIL TO THE O RANGE // HAIL TO THE B LUE

2 SEASON ENDING NOTES FINAL STATS AND RESULTS BIG TEN STATISTICS TEAM/OPPONENT GAME-BY-GAME MATCH HIGHS

3 DEBRULER HAS STRONG DEBUT Borske (19 in 1995). Her 15 such matches moves her into sixth on the career list. VanMeter holds the career mark with 29. The Illini played before another large crowd in the season opener against Marquette at the State Farm Illini Classic. This was the second year of the Stuff Huff promotion. Illinois posted its 21st winning season in the last 23 years in The Illini defeated a ranked team for the seventh straight season and took eventual national champion Penn State to five games, all the while breaking in a new, yet talented freshman class. DeBruler led all freshmen nationally (22nd overall) in kills per game at 4.89 while also pacing the Big Ten in points per game. She had a stretch of seven straight 20-plus kill matches in mid-season. Illinois got contributions from all six freshmen. Johannah Bangert started from the onset of the year and led the team in attack percentage (.358). No player, not event national player of the year Mary Eggers, had even double figures in kills in an Illinois debut. DeBruler, however, exploded for 28 in a four-game win over Bowling Green in the season opener. She was named Big Ten Player of the Week twice and had kill matches on the year, over halfway to the school record for such matches in a career. DON HARDIN WINS NO. 400 Illinois head coach Don Hardin won his 400th match in the season finale vs. Iowa. He entered this season -- his 12th at Illinois -- with exactly 192 wins at both Louisville and Illinois. The win over Toledo was his 200th at Illinois and 392nd overall. His record now stands at at Illinois and overall. EDINGER BREAKS DIGS RECORD With 24 digs against Ohio St., Ashley Edinger set Illinois single-season digs record. She finished with 564 digs for the year, besting the old mark of 520 set by Beth Vrdsky in Edinger also topped 1,000 digs in just her 57th match of her career. Tracey Marshall, who is Illinois all-time digs leader with 1,426, recorded her 1,000th career dig in her 80th match. Ashley Edinger s 37 digs vs. Northwestern were the second most in a match in school history, one off the record by Petra Laverman. Edinger has five of the top ten single-match digs in school history, three of which were in DEBRULER LEADS NATION S FRESHMEN IN KILLS Laura DeBruler edged Florida A&M s Jovanna Blazeski by a slim margin for the top spot nationally among freshmen in kills per game. DeBruler averaged 4.89 kills per game, edging Blazeski (4.87). DeBruler had 15 matches with at least 20 kills, including seven in a row and 10 out of 11 matches. She tied for second with Rachel VanMeter (15) on Illinois single-season list of 20- kill matches trailing only Erin ILLINI TAKES NATIONAL CHAMP TO LIMIT After dropping the first two games to eventual national champion Penn State on Oct. 19, Illinois rallied to take games three and four before the Lions won the match in five. ILLINOIS WINS LONGEST GAME IN SCHOOL HISTORY Illinois played its longest single game in school history vs. Wisconsin on Sept. 19. The Illini had 11 game points in the opening frame before they prevailed Illinois had leads in game two before the Badgers rebounded to take a competitive game two, Wisconsin won the final two games handily. DEBRULER HAS HISTORIC START Laura DeBruler had 28 kills and 11 digs in her Illinois debut. The Illini have had nine AVCA All-Americans. None of those players reached double digits in kills and only one (Erin Borske) was double digits in digs in their respective debuts NCAA KILLS LEADERS School Avg. Total Matches 1 Kim Babcock, Northern Ariz. Sr Jamie Houston, Hawaii Jr Justine Farmer, Houston Jr Gorana Maricic, Oregon Jr Rubena Sukaj, American Jr Alona Cherkez, Villanova Sr Haley Larsen, Idaho Jr Yarimar Rosa, Florida Int'l So Missie Stidham, Sacramento St. Sr Iva Lakic, Florida A&M Sr Amanda Nielson, Utah St. Sr Kelly-Anne Billingy, Marshall Sr Asia Kaczor, Southern California Sr Jackie Ahlers, Stony Brook Sr Kelley Wernert, East Caro. Sr Sara Radosevic, Tulane Jr Carrie DeMange, Duke Sr Heather Hughes, Loyola (Calif.) Sr Sarah Snider, Lipscomb Jr Brittany Zahn, Appalachian St. Sr Whitney Johnson, Mary.-ES So Laura DeBruler, Illinois Fr Jovanna Blazeski, Florida A&M Fr Fabiola Nepomuceno, Tulsa Sr Sarah Pavan, Nebraska Sr // 2008 ILLINOIS VOLLEYBALL

4 VICKI BROWN POSTS 1,000 KILLS Illinois senior Vicki Brown posted her 1,000th kill in the Illinois victory over Michigan State. She finished her career with 1,082 for her career. ILLINOIS SWEEPS FIRST BIG TEN ROAD TRIP IN FOUR YEARS Illinois swept three straight Big Ten road weekends for six road victories in a row. Until then Illinois hadn t swept a Big Ten weekend in four seasons. The last time Illinois had won two road conference matches on the same weekend was Nov , 2003 when the Illini won at Indiana (3-1) and Purdue (3-1). ILLINI COMPETITIVE VS. RANKED TEAMS With the victory over No. 11 Minnesota, Illinois defeated a ranked opponent for the seventh straight year. In fact Illinois has at least one win over a ranked team every year but 2000 since The Illini took four ranked teams to five games before falling just short -- No. 22 LSU, No. 9 Wisconsin, No. 10 Michigan and No. 2 Penn State. Illinois also lost to Dayton, a team ranked No. 17 in the latest poll, in five games. The Dayton match was especially close as the Illini had two match points in game four vs. the host Flyers. Dayton rebounded to take game four and the match. Illinois had LSU on the ropes, before the Tigers rebounded to win in five games. In that match, the Illini bested the favored Tigers in every statistical category attack percentage ( ), kills (68-62), digs (72-65) and blocks (14-12). ILLINOIS WINS 24TH ILLINI CLASSIC Illinois won its 17th State Farm Illini Classic title in the tournament s 24 years with victories over Marquette (3-0) and Creighton (3-1). Senior Vicki Brown was named to her seventh straight All- Tournament team and was named MVP of the Illini Classic for the second straight season. Brown tallied 27 kills while hitting.362 for the weekend. Freshman Laura DeBruler and junior setter Lizzie Bazzetta were also named to the All-Tournament team. DeBruler had 19 kills vs. Marquette while hitting.381 and added 18 kills vs. Creighton. Bazzetta had a double double with 45 assists and 13 digs vs. Creighton and engineered an Illinois offense that hit.268 vs. Marquette. DEBRULER TWICE NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK Laura DeBruler was named Big Ten Player of the Week twice this season, the first Illinois player to earn the honor twice since Rachel VanMeter in DeBruler earned the first honor on Oct. 1 after she helped the Illini win at Michigan State and Northwestern, with 19 and 20 kills, respectively. Against the Spartans, the Illini started at a 2-0 deficit in the match, but were able to turn things around behind five kills by DeBruler in game three. Against the Wildcats, DeBruler turned in the match Vicki Brown earned the State Farm Illini Classic MVP for the second straight season HONOR ROLL BIG TEN/NATIONAL HONORS Pre Season All-Big Ten: Vicki Brown Big Ten Player of the Week: Laura DeBruler (10/1); Laura DeBruler (10/29) Honorable Mention All-Big Ten: Vicki Brown, Laura DeBruler All-Big Ten Freshman Team: Laura DeBruler Big Ten Sportsmanship Award: Ashley Edinger Academic All-Big Ten: Stefanie Alde, Kristine Anderson, Lizzie Bazzetta, Ashley Edinger, Rachel Henderson ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM HONOREES Dayton Flyer Classic: Laura DeBruler, Vicki Brown Mizuno Invitational II: Vicki Brown, Ashley Edinger State Farm Illini Classic: Vicki Brown (MVP), Lizzie Bazzetta, Laura DeBruler TEAM AWARDS Jimmy & Jeanne Seyler Top Gun Award: Johannah Bangert Jim Bayne Award for Academic Excellence: Kristine Anderson The Sandy Scholtens Award: Ashley Edinger, Abby Nelson of her young career, pounding down All- American numbers with 20 kills in a 3-0 sweep on the road. The kills mark was one-upped only by her attack percentage, a career-high.487 with only one error on the entire match. For the weekend, DeBruler almost hit an average of five kills per game, including almost eight kills per game against Northwestern. The second honor came on Oct. 29 after victories at Purdue and Indiana. DeBruler had 24 kills in the victory over Purdue and 23 vs. Indiana. She had seven kills in the deciding fourth game vs. the Hoosiers. EDINGER, BROWN NAMED ALL- TOURNAMENT AT RICE Ashley Edinger and Vicki Brown were each named to the All-Tournament Team at the Mizuno Invitational II hosted by Rice University. Edinger had a career-high 32 digs in the Illini s near upset of LSU and finished the tournament with 64 digs (5.82 dpg), two aces, 13 assists and a.974 reception. That was the third career all-tournament selection for the sophomore libero. Brown was named to the all-tournament team for the sixth straight time dating back to Brown had 37 kills and hit a combined.438. She had nine blocks vs. LSU and 20 in 11 games for the tournament. 16 NCAA BIDS // 9 SWEET 16S // 2 FINAL FOURS // 53

5 STATISTICS / RESULTS ALL MATCHES OVERALL RECORD: HOME: 5-8 ROAD: 8-5 NEUTRAL: 3-1 M G K E TA PCT. A SA SE RE DIG BS BA TB BE BHE Johannah Bangert Vicki Brown Lizzie Bazzetta Stefanie Alde Laura DeBruler Abby Nelson Amy Palash Kylie McCulley Nicole Kump Lea Zarytsky Kristine Anderson Ashley Edinger TEAM 14 Illinois Totals Opponents BIG TEN CONFERENCE MATCHES OVERALL RECORD: 8-12 HOME: 2-8 ROAD: 6-4 M G K E TA PCT. A SA SE RE DIG BS BA TB BE BHE Johannah Bangert Lizzie Bazzetta Vicki Brown Laura DeBruler Stefanie Alde Abby Nelson Amy Palash Kylie McCulley Nicole Kump Hillary Haen Lea Zarytsky Kristine Anderson Ashley Edinger Team 12 Illinois Totals Opponents RESULTS Aug. 24 Bowling Green# W , 30-28, 30-28, Aug. 25 IPFW# W , 30-19, Aug. 25 at Dayton# L , 30-21, 30-23, 29-31, 7-15 Aug. 31 #22 LSU$ L , 30-26, 28-30, 30-22, Aug. 31 at Rice $ W , 30-19, Sept. 1 TAMU-Corpus Christi$ W , 30-26, Sept. 7 MARQUETTE! W , 30-22, Sept. 8 CREIGHTON! W , 17-30, 30-25, Sept. 12 SO. ILLINOIS W , 30-14, Sept. 15 at Toledo W , 30-25, 25-30, Sept. 19 #9 WISCONSIN* L , 29-31, 14-30, Sept. 21 at #10 Michigan* L , 30-23, 27-30, 30-28, Sept. 28 at Michigan State* W , 20-30, 30-28, 30-25, Sept. 29 at Northwestern* W , 30-25, OCT. 5 INDIANA* L , 22-30, 30-15, 23-30, OCT. 8 PURDUE* L , 22-30, 30-20, 30-25, // 2008 ILLINOIS VOLLEYBALL Oct. 12 at Iowa* W , 30-28, Oct. 13 at #11 Minnesota* W , 30-25, 18-30, OCT. 19 #2 PENN STATE* L , 25-30, 30-19, 30-28, OCT. 21 OHIO STATE* L , 24-30, 31-29, 30-22, Oct. 26 at Purdue* W , 30-28, Oct. 27 at Indiana* W , 30-26, 26-30, NOV. 2 NORTHWESTERN* L , 18-30, 30-20, 27-30, NOV. 3 MICHIGAN STATE* W , 23-30, 30-28, Nov. 7 at #11 Wisconsin* L , 23-30, NOV. 10 MICHIGAN* L , 23-30, Nov. 16 at Ohio State* L , 26-30, 30-23, Nov. 17 at #1 Penn State* L , 22-30, NOV. 23 MINNESOTA* L , 30-26, 23-30, 17-30, NOV. 24 IOWA* W , 30-19, # Dayton Flyer Classic $ Marquette Kick-Off Tournament! State Farm Illini Classic * Big Ten match Home matches in CAPS

6 BIG TEN STATISTICS TEAM HITTING PERCENTAGE G Kills Errs Total Pct 1. Penn State Wisconsin Michigan State Michigan Illinois Northwestern Minnesota Purdue Ohio State Indiana Iowa ASSISTS PER GAME G No. Per Game 1. Penn State Michigan State Wisconsin Michigan Illinois Northwestern Minnesota Purdue Indiana Ohio State Iowa KILLS PER GAME G No. Per Game 1. Penn State Michigan State Wisconsin Michigan Northwestern Illinois Purdue Minnesota Indiana Ohio State Iowa BLOCKS PER GAME G Solo Asst Total PG 1. Penn State Minnesota Wisconsin Purdue Northwestern Indiana Ohio State Iowa Michigan State Illinois Michigan ACES PER GAME G Aces Per Game 1. Penn State Wisconsin Northwestern Michigan Indiana Michigan State Ohio State Illinois Iowa Minnesota Purdue DIGS PER GAME G No. Per Game 1. Michigan Purdue Northwestern Minnesota Illinois Ohio State Wisconsin Iowa Michigan State Indiana Penn State INDIVIDUAL HITTING PERCENTAGE Cl G Kills Errs Total Pct 1. Harmotto, Christa, PSU JR Wilson, Arielle, PSU FR Brown, Blair, PSU FR Bangert, Johannah, ILL FR Karpiak, Beth, MICH JR Reineke, Taylor, WIS SR Brown, Vicki, ILL SR Lynch, Stephanie, PUR JR Hyser, Chelsy, NU JR Fawcett, Nicole, PSU JR KILLS PER GAME Cl G No. Per Game 1. DeBruler, Laura, ILL FR Bruzdzinski, Katie, MICH SR Dolgner, Brittney, WIS SO Hodge, Megan,. PSU SO Schatzle,Ashley,. MSU Johnson,Katie, MSU Fawcett, Nicole, PSU JR Short, Erica, IND JR Meyer, Danielle, OSU SR Dieter, Brook, MINN FR ASSISTS PER GAME Cl G No. Per Game 1. O'Reilly,Lauren, MSU Zimmerman, Lexi, MICH FR Simpson, Jackie, WIS SR Glass, Alisha, PSU SO Glab, Elyse, NU FR Hartmann, Rachel, MINN JR Hilgenberg, Mara, IND FR Bazzetta, Lizzie, ILL JR Hart, Jaclyn, PUR FR Fister, Kiley, IOWA JR SERVICE ACES PER GAME Cl G No. Per Game 1. Bruzdzinski, Katie, MICH SR Fawcett, Nicole, PSU JR Wack, Jocelyn, WIS SR Anderson, Lindsay, NU SR O'Reilly,Lauren, MSU Pierce, Juli, IND SR Szerszen, Anna, OSU SO Ditteon, Lauren,. IND SR Zimmerman, Lexi, MICH FR McCarthy, Briana, OSU SR BLOCKS PER GAME Cl G Solo Asst Total Per Game 1. Wilson, Arielle, PSU FR Harmotto, Christa, PSU JR Jones, Jessy, MINN SR Reineke, Taylor, WIS SR Lynch, Stephanie, PUR JR Meyer, Danielle,. OSU SR Benson, Ashley, IND FR Kremer, Laura, IOWA JR Jeffers, Audra, WIS JR Aldridge, Brittney, NU SR DIGS PER GAME Cl G No. Per Game 1. Selsky, Stesha, MICH SR Nobilio, Kate, NU SO Edinger, Ashley, ILL SO Tan, Christine, MINN SO Wack, Jocelyn, WIS SR Miller, Kelli, PUR JR Hiza, Emily,. IOWA JR Pierce, Juli, IND SR Holehouse, Roberta, PSU JR Mastandrea, Anne, PUR SR NCAA BIDS // 9 SWEET 16S // 2 FINAL FOURS // 55

7 GAME-BY-GAME TEAM/OPPONENT STATISTICS OPPONENT SCORE GP K E TA PCT. A SA SE RE DIG BS/BA BE TB BHE Bowling Green /59 28/22 171/ / /52 9/1 12/8 1/9 64/ /1-18 1/0 8.0/10.0 1/2 IPFW Mastodons /27 12/22 92/94.402/ /24 9/3 17/5 3/9 41/ /1-0 0/1 11.0/1.0 0/3 Dayton Flyers /52 33/27 182/ / /47 5/10 21/9 10/5 72/ /3-16 0/2 11.0/11.0 3/5 LSU /62 27/27 173/ / /56 7/11 14/17 11/7 72/ /2-20 1/1 14.0/12.0 9/7 Rice /41 12/18 109/ / /40 8/3 8/8 3/8 42/ /1-12 0/0 5.0/7.0 3/3 TAMU-Corpus Christi /34 13/25 111/ / /32 8/2 11/7 2/8 46/ /0-0 0/0 13.0/0.0 5/4 MARQUETTE /36 20/24 127/ / /35 3/0 12/7 0/3 47/ /0-8 3/4 8.0/4.0 0/0 CREIGHTON /42 33/31 161/ / /37 6/7 15/11 7/6 72/ /2-26 2/1 11.0/15.0 0/0 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS /21 9/24 104/ / /20 5/1 10/3 1/5 45/ /0-4 0/1 12.0/2.0 0/0 TOLEDO /55 25/21 157/ / /52 10/6 11/10 6/10 71/ /0-14 1/0 7.0/7.0 3/0 WISCONSIN /65 46/22 183/ / /62 4/7 11/10 7/4 65/ /3-30 0/1 6.0/18.0 0/0 Michigan /72 28/30 186/ / /66 3/4 17/14 4/3 71/ /1-26 0/2 14.0/14.0 4/8 Michigan State /71 30/30 154/ / /63 5/6 12/10 6/5 34/ /4-28 2/4 14.0/18.0 4/6 Northwestern /49 11/22 117/ / /43 1/3 8/10 3/1 56/ /0-8 4/1 8.0/4.0 1/2 INDIANA /55 33/29 189/ / /50 3/11 15/13 11/3 83/ /2-26 2/3 13.5/15.0 0/0 PURDUE /66 35/28 186/ / /63 4/3 13/14 3/4 74/ /3-24 3/1 7.0/15.0 0/0 Iowa /37 31/23 133/ / /35 3/1 8/6 1/3 50/ /4-20 2/2 9.0/14.0 1/3 Minnesota /48 36/28 175/ / /45 4/5 12/13 5/4 75/ /3-29 0/3 8.5/17.5 0/2 PENN STATE /65 41/23 188/ / /58 7/3 11/10 3/7 82/ /5-40 4/1 6.0/25.0 0/0 OHIO STATE /73 39/33 205/ / /68 5/2 12/10 2/5 81/ /2-42 0/0 8.0/23.0 0/0 Purdue /46 26/18 125/ / /44 5/3 5/11 3/5 38/ /1-20 0/3 6.0/11.0 2/2 Indiana /63 26/30 166/ / /60 2/10 9/8 10/2 64/ /1-20 2/3 8.0/11.0 1/1 NORTHWESTERN /64 42/31 212/ / /59 6/6 5/9 6/6 108/ /3-24 2/0 12.0/15.0 0/0 MICHIGAN STATE /70 33/28 183/ / /68 6/4 4/6 4/6 61/ /0-20 4/0 9.0/10.0 0/0 Wisconsin /48 27/10 115/ / /45 1/8 4/8 8/1 34/35 2-6/2-18 2/3 5.0/11.0 1/1 MICHIGAN /53 22/13 133/ / /45 3/5 9/8 5/3 60/57 0-8/0-10 2/2 4.0/5.0 0/0 Ohio State /68 31/14 191/ / /61 9/5 6/4 5/3 60/57 0-8/0-10 2/2 4.0/5.0 0/0 Penn State /49 25/16 98/93.112/ /45 4/6 10/11 6/4 26/ /1-30 6/2 6.0/16.0 0/0 MINNESOTA /61 42/24 180/ / /59 4/9 13/10 9/4 50/57 2-6/4-34 2/5 5.0/21.0 0/0 IOWA /34 19/18 116/ / /32 7/2 9/8 2/7 47/ /1-16 3/3 6.0/9.0 1/0 Note: Match totals are displayed in the format TEAM/OPPONENT for each category 56 // 2008 ILLINOIS VOLLEYBALL

8 MATCH HIGHS INDIVIDUAL MATCH HIGHS TEAM MATCH HIGHS ATTACK PERCENT (K-E-TA) minimum 12 kills.765 ( ) Bangert, Johannah vs TAMU-Corpus Christi (Sep 01).688 ( ) Bangert, Johannah vs Iowa (Nov 24, 2007).579 ( ) Brown, Vicki vs Southern Illinois (Sep 12, 2007).550 ( ) Brown, Vicki at Rice (Aug 31, 2007).550 ( ) Brown, Vicki at Indiana (Oct 27, 2007) KILLS (K-E-TA) 31 ( ) 4g DeBruler, Laura vs Michigan State (Nov 03, 2007) 28 ( ) 4g DeBruler, Laura vs Bowling Green (Aug 24, 2007) 27 ( ) 5g DeBruler, Laura vs Penn State (10/19/2007) 24 ( ) 5g DeBruler, Laura vs Purdue (Oct 08, 2007) 24 ( ) 4g DeBruler, Laura at Minnesota (Oct 13, 2007) TOTAL ATTEMPTS (K-E-TA) 78 ( ) 5g DeBruler, Laura vs Northwestern (Nov 02, 2007) 75 ( ) 5g DeBruler, Laura vs Penn State (10/19/2007) 73 ( ) 4g DeBruler, Laura at Ohio State (Nov 16, 2007) 70 ( ) 5g DeBruler, Laura vs Ohio State (Oct 21, 2007) 68 ( ) 4g DeBruler, Laura vs Creighton (Sep 08, 2007) ASSISTS 69 (4g) Bazzetta, Lizzie at Ohio State (Nov 16, 2007) 69 (5g) Bazzetta, Lizzie vs Penn State (10/19/2007) 63 (5g) Bazzetta, Lizzie vs Ohio State (Oct 21, 2007) 62 (5g) Bazzetta, Lizzie at Michigan (Sep 21, 2007) 61 (4g) Bazzetta, Lizzie at Toledo (09/15/07) DIGS 37 (5g) Edinger, Ashley vs Northwestern (Nov 02, 2007) 34 (5g) Edinger, Ashley vs Ohio State (Oct 21, 2007) 32 (5g) Edinger, Ashley vs LSU (Aug 31, 2007) 27 (5g) Edinger, Ashley at Dayton Flyers (Aug 25, 2007) 24 (4g) Edinger, Ashley at Ohio State (Nov 16, 2007) ATTACK PERCENT (K-E-TA).452 ( ) vs Southern Illinois (Sep 12, 2007).402 ( ) vs IPFW Mastodons (Aug 25, 2007).376 ( ) at Rice (Aug 31, 2007).359 ( ) at Northwestern (Sep 29, 2007).310 ( ) vs Iowa (Nov 24, 2007) KILLS (K-E-TA) 82 ( ) 5g vs Penn State (10/19/2007) 78 ( ) 4g at Ohio State (Nov 16, 2007) 76 ( ) 5g at Dayton Flyers (Aug 25, 2007) 75 ( ) 4g at Indiana (Oct 27, 2007) 70 ( ) 5g vs Ohio State (Oct 21, 2007) TOTAL ATTEMPTS (K-E-TA) 212 ( ) 5g vs Northwestern (Nov 02, 2007) 205 ( ) 5g vs Ohio State (Oct 21, 2007) 191 ( ) 4g at Ohio State (Nov 16, 2007) 189 ( ) 5g vs Indiana (Oct 05, 2007) 188 ( ) 5g vs Penn State (10/19/2007) ASSISTS 80 (5g) vs Penn State (10/19/2007) 76 (4g) at Ohio State (Nov 16, 2007) 69 (4g) at Indiana (Oct 27, 2007) 68 (5g) at Dayton Flyers (Aug 25, 2007) 68 (5g) vs Ohio State (Oct 21, 2007) DIGS 108 (5g) vs Northwestern (Nov 02, 2007) 83 (5g) vs Indiana (Oct 05, 2007) 82 (5g) vs Penn State (10/19/2007) 81 (5g) vs Ohio State (Oct 21, 2007) 75 (4g) at Minnesota (Oct 13, 2007) ACES 5 Palash, Amy at Rice (Aug 31, 2007) 4 Edinger, Ashley at Ohio State (Nov 16, 2007) 4 Bazzetta, Lizzie vs IPFW Mastodons (Aug 25, 2007) 4 Bazzetta, Lizzie vs TAMU-Corpus Christi (Sep 01, 2007) 3 Bazzetta, Lizzie vs Bowling Green (Aug 24, 2007) BLOCKS (BS-BA) 9 (3-6) Brown, Vicki vs. LSU (Aug. 31, 2007) 9 (2-7) Bangert, Johannah at Dayton (Aug. 25, 2007) 8 (1-7) Brown, Vicki vs. Northwestern (Nov. 2, 2007) 8 (1-7) Bangert, Johannah at Michigan State (Sept. 28, 2007) POINTS (KILLS-ACES-BLOCKS) 32.0 ( ) DeBruler, Laura vs Michigan State (Nov 03, 2007) 29.5 ( ) DeBruler, Laura vs Bowling Green (Aug 24, 2007) 29.0 ( ) DeBruler, Laura vs Penn State (10/19/2007) 25.5 ( ) DeBruler, Laura at Purdue (Oct 26, 2007) 25.5 ( ) DeBruler, Laura vs Minnesota (Nov 23, 2007) ACES 10 at TOLEDO (09/15/07) 9 at Ohio State (Nov 16, 2007) 9 vs Bowling Green (Aug 24, 2007) 9 vs IPFW Mastodons (Aug 25, 2007) 8 at Rice (Aug 31, 2007) BLOCKS 14.0 at Michigan (Sep 21, 2007) 14.0 vs LSU (Aug 31, 2007) 14.0 at Michigan State (Sep 28, 2007) 13.5 vs Indiana (Oct 05, 2007) 13.0 vs TAMU-Corpus Christi (Sep 01, 2007) 16 NCAA BIDS // 9 SWEET 16S // 2 FINAL FOURS // 57

9 MATCH 1 ILLINOIS 3, BOWLING GREEN 1 (22-30, 30-28, 30-28, 30-19) AUG. 24, 2007 // FRERICKS CENTER // DAYTON, OHIO DAYTON FLYER CLASSIC MATCH 2 ILLINOIS 3, IPFW 0 (30-23, 30-19, 30-18) AUG. 25, 2007 // FRERICKS CENTER // DAYTON, OHIO DAYTON FLYER CLASSIC MATCH 3 DAYTON 3, ILLINOIS 2 (30-28, 21-30, 23-30, 31-29, 15-7) AUG. 26, 2007 // HUFF HALL // CHAMPAIGN, ILL. DAYTON FLYER CLASSIC Illini fans were excited to see how their highly touted freshman class would respond in Led by 28 kills from freshman Laura DeBruler, the Illini overcame a slow start to top Bowling Green 22-30, 30-28, 30-28, at the Dayton Flyer Classic. Bowling Green returned all but one player from a team that won 26 games and finished second to nationally-ranked Ohio in the Mid-American Conference a year ago. The veteran Falcon team took advantage of some early Illinois mistakes to take the opening game. BGSU took a sizable 17-9 advantage, but Illinois was able to play them even the rest of game one. Illinois came out strong in the second game, busting out to a 10-6 lead. Illini came through in the third game, pulling it out after a tie. The Illini used a 6-2 offense, utilizing both setters Lizzie Bazzetta (28 assists) and Hillary Haen (26 assists). DeBruler Brown Kump Bazzetta Bangert McCulley Edinger Palash Haen Alde Total BG GP K-E-TA Pct. A SA-SE DIG BS-BA PTS Swiger Domek Means Mohr Halm Mills Meek Simon Jackson Karges Fish Askic Luther Totals The Illini began the day with a convincing straight games victory 30-23, 30-19, over IPFW. The Illini dominated games two and three hitting.487 and.440, respectively, good for a.402 percentage overall. The attacking numbers were what sent the Illini into the championship match. DeBruler Brown Kump Bazzetta Bangert McCulley Nelson Edinger Haen Alde Anderson Totals IPFW GP K-E-TA Pct. A SA-SE DIG BS-BA PTS Azevedo Roehm Dominiak Hervey Schlindwein Miller Reuter Lamberti Jankowski Simon Schwartz Staus Totals A: --- NA Illinois went 1-1 on day two of the Dayton Flyer Classic. The Illini defeated IPFW 30-23, 30-19, before suffering a heartbreaking five-game defeat the host Flyers in the championship match 30-28, 21-30, 23-30, 31-29, Illinois had two match points for the championship in the fourth game before the Flyers scored four points away to send the match into a fifth and deciding game. The Illini had two players on the all-tournament team. Freshman Laura DeBruler had 13 kills vs. IPFW and another 21 vs. Dayton to finish her first collegiate weekend with 62 kills. Vicki Brown had a big championship match with 19 kills while hitting.519. The Illini began the day with a convincing straight games victory 30-23, 30-19, over IPFW. The Illini dominated games two and three hitting.487 and.440, respectively, good for a.402 percentage overall. The attacking numbers were what sent the Illini into the championship match 2-0 for the tournament before suffering the five-game setback to Dayton. DeBruler Brown Kump Bazzetta Bangert McCulley Edinger Palash Haen Alde Totals Dayton GP K-E-TA Pct. A SA-SE DIG BS-BA PTS Akerhielm Norris Christoff Fletemier Richards Schroeder Green Marten Broerman Bateman Robbe Totals A: -- NA A: 1, // 2008 ILLINOIS VOLLEYBALL

10 MATCH 4 #22 LSU 3, ILLINOIS 2 (30-27, 26-30, 30-28, 22-30, 15-11) AUG. 31, 2007 // FOX GYM // HOUSTON, TEXAS MIZUNO INVITATIONAL II MATCH 5 ILLINOIS 3, RICE 0 (30-21, 30-21, 30-18) AUG. 31 // FOX GYM // HOUSTON, TEXAS MIZUNO INVITATIONAL II MATCH 6 ILLINOIS 3, TAMUCC 1 (30-16, 30-27, 30-26) SEPT. 1 // FOX GYM // HOUSTON, TEXAS MIZUNO INVITATIONAL II The Illinois volleyball team put on a show for enthusiastic fans as it took on No. 22 LSU at Fox Gym in the opening match of the Mizuno Invitational II. The young Illini pushed the nationally ranked Tigers to the limit, but fell just short in the 3-2 loss, 30-27, 26-30, 30-28, 22-30, Freshman Laura DeBruler led a potent Illinois offense that included four players in double-figures, while sophomore libero Ashley Edinger picked-up a career-high 32 digs in the effort. The story of the match had to be the defensive prowess of Edinger and the Illini against one of the top teams in the country. The Michigan City, Ind., native led an effort that included a season team-high 72 digs for the match, helping the Illini outperform the Tigers, who notched 65. With a total of 11 ties and four lead changes in the opening game, it was LSU who snuck away with the victory, 30-27, to take an early advantage. In game two, it was Illinois who prevailed to level the match at 1-1. In game three, give the Tigers the win. Illinois ran away with a victory to take all the momentum into the fifth game. However, the match began to unravel for the Illini, who fell victim to untimely receiving errors to allow the Tigers to go on a four-point run en route to the game-five win. DeBruler Brown Kump Bazzetta Bangert McCulley Edinger Palash Haen Alde Total LSU GP K-E-TA Pct. A SA-SE DIG BS-BA PTS Lonergan DeGirolamo Bensend Washington Skender Cooper Johnson Martinez Hensgens Totals The Illinois volleyball team wasted little time in returning to the win column as it swept the Mizuno Invitational II host Rice Owls, 3-0 at Fox Gym by game scores of 30-20, 30-19, The potent Illini attack finished the night with four players hitting in double figures, with McCulley leading the crew that included senior middle blocker Vicki Brown (13), senior rightside hitter Stefanie Alde (12) and freshman outside hitter Laura DeBruler (10). The match opened in Illinois' favor from the get go, as the Orange and Blue quickly took advantage of the Owls' shaky passing game. Behind aggressive serves, Illinois, who finished the match with eight aces, trailed only once in game one before sealing the victory. In game two, Illinois continued its strong hold on the contest, keeping the Owls out of offensive rhythm. However, it was not until game three, when the Owls' moved to a 6-2 offense, that Rice started making a dent in the unstoppable Illinois attack. However, a pivotal timeout from the Illinois bench halted a Rice run and allowed Illinois to refocus toward a sweep. DeBruler Brown Alde Bazzetta Bangert McCulley Edinger Palash Totals Rice GP K-E-TA Pct. A SA-SE DIG BS-BA PTS Gill Dennemann McClean Shammah Holderness Shaum Morgan Grigsby Lam Boulavsky Totals A: 390 The Illinois women's volleyball team finished up a solid weekend in the Lone Star State, sweeping Texas A&M Corpus Christi by scores of 30-18, 30-26, 30-20, in its final match of the Mizuno Invitational II in Houston. Freshman middle blocker Johannah Bangert and senior middle blocker Vicki Brown were the stars of the afternoon, pounding down 13 and 11 kills, respectively, to lead the Illini attack. With the win, Illinois improved to 4-2 on the season, while Texas A&M Corpus Christi dropped to 2-4. The match began with an Illinois offense that was firing on all cylinders in the first frame. Bangert and Brown established their presence in the middle, both combining for almost five kills apiece in the opening game to lead Illinois to an easy opening win. Illinois' 3-0 sweep behind a game-three victory finished off the Islanders and solidified a solid weekend for the Illini in the Lone Star state. DeBruler Brown Palash Bazzetta Bangert McCulley Nelson Edinger Kump Haen Alde Totals TAMUCC GP K-E-TA Pct. A SA-SE DIG BS-BA PTS Nielson Wagner McBearty Paslay McCabe Feliz North Jennett Munoz Luber Totals A: --- A: NCAA BIDS // 9 SWEET 16S // 2 FINAL FOURS // 59

11 MATCH 7 ILLINOIS 3, MARQUETTE 0 (30-24, 30-22, 30-24) SEPT. 7, 2007 // HUFF HALL // CHAMPAIGN, ILL. STATE FARM ILLINI CLASSIC MATCH 8 ILLINOIS 3, CREIGHTON 1 (30-22, 17-30, 30-25, 30-22) SEPT. 8, 2007 // HUFF HALL // CHAMPAIGN, ILL. STATE FARM ILLINI CLASSIC MATCH 9 ILLINOIS 3, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 0 (30-15, 30-14, 30-14) SEPT. 12, 2007 // HUFF HALL // CHAMPAIGN, ILL. The event for the second year in a row promoted as `Stuff Huff' drew an electrifying crowd of 2,287. The throng of orange clad supporters spurred Illinois to a 30-24, 30-22, victory over Marquette in the first round of the 24th Annual State Farm Illini Classic. With the Illini playing without sophomore outside hitter Kylie McCulley (foot stress fracture) and senior right side hitter Stefanie Alde (back), Illinois rallied to hit.268 as a team and post a perfect serve reception percentage in 64 chances. Freshman Laura DeBruler took 42 swings in the three-game sweep and hit.381 with a match-high 19 kills in her first regular season home match. Junior setter Lizzie Bazzetta had 46 assists, feeding some nice balls to senior middle hitter Vicki Brown, who tallied 11 kills while hitting.286. As she did in the first match of the year against Bowling Green, senior hitter Amy Palash came up with some big swings filling in for McCulley. Palash reached double figures with 10 kills. Freshman Nicole Kump was impressive on the right side, hitting.357 with eight kills. Ashley Edinger finished with a match high 18 digs. The Illini also heated up offensively, hitting.500 through the first 20 points and finishing with a.317 clip for the game. Edinger served up her second ace of the night on match point. DeBruler Brown Palash Anderson Bazzetta Bangert Edinger Kump Total Marquette GP K-E-TA Pct. A SA-SE DIG BS-BA PTS Fisher Weidner Brown Helmbrecht Todd Gonyo Angst Kieser Richards Viola Mastandrea Totals A: 2,287 For the second straight year, the Illinois volleyball team hoisted the State Farm Illini Classic trophy, defeating Creighton 3-1. The Illini were led by the offensive explosiveness of the tournament's Most Valuable Player senior middle blocker Vicki Brown, who finished the afternoon with 16 kills and four blocks. Freshman outside hitter Laura DeBruler paced all hitters with 18 kills and 10 digs to garner all-tournament honors, while junior Lizzie Bazzetta rounded out the Orange and Blue in the all-tournament spotlight, collecting 45 assists and 13 digs in her double-double performance. While the offense for Illinois kept the Illini ahead of a feisty Creighton team throughout the match, it was the defense that proved to be the match decider. In the end, a total of five Illini picked up double-digit digs, with sophomore libero Ashley Edinger heading that defensive crew with 21 digs and three assists in the win. Senior outside hitter Amy Palash contributed to the scrappy defense as well, picking up 13, while junior defensive specialist Kristine Anderson made her first appearance of the 2007 season, saving 14 of her own. In a back and forth affair, it was Illinois who put the close on a Bluejay run to clean-up a 3-1 victory. Down the stretch, Illinois made Creighton pay for costly serve receive difficulties. In game four, Creighton played from behind for most of the match.from there, Palash tossed in an ace and an unreturnable serve to give the Illini a lead and it was all Illinois the remainder of the game. Riding the arms of DeBruler, who had eight kills in the decisive fourth game, the freshman issued the final dagger on a kill from the outside to seal the victory, and the 3-1 match win. DeBruler Brown Palash Anderson Bazzetta Bangert Zarytsky Edinger Kump Totals Creighton GP K-E-TA Pct. A SA-SE DIG BS-BA PTS Cvejdlik Oelke Baumann Houts Goc Lebeda Rivera Decker Bloemke Mehal Schulze Totals Freshman Laura DeBruler had 19 kills, pacing three Illinois players in double figure kills as the Illini rolled Southern Illinois 30-15, 30-14, The Illinois defense limited Southern Illinois to a.-030 attack percentage, including in the game three. Illinois outblocked the Salukis 12-2, led by seven block assists from freshman Johannah Bangert. Senior Stefanie Alde, who missed the past two matches with back problems, emerged in a strong way at the net. Alde had five block assists, tallied 13 kills, and hit.500. Senior Vicki Brown had 12 kills while hitting.579, connecting with junior setter Lizzie Bazzetta on the back slide on numerous occasions. Illinois hit.583 and.600, respectively, in the first two games and a season-best.452 for the match. Bangert had five kills in 12 swings without an attack error. Bazzetta had 38 assists in 59 chances for a solid.644 percentage. Freshman Hillary Haen took over the setting role in game three and added 11 assists. The Illini led the Salukis in aces 5-1 with DeBruler contributing a pair. DeBruler Brown Palash Anderson Bazzetta Bangert Nelson Edinger Kump Haen Alde Totals S. Robbins Medic Conner Berwanger Roberson Laughlin Elswick Bartuff Clark Buehlhorn Berwanger Totals A: 1,332 A: // 2008 ILLINOIS VOLLEYBALL

12 MATCH 10 ILLINOIS 3, TOLEDO 1 (30-26, 30-25, 25-30, 30-21) SEPT. 15, 2007 // HUFF HALL // CHAMPAIGN, ILL. Before the season, Illinois head coach Don Hardin and his staff set a goal of winning at least eight non-conference matches. With a 30-26, 30-25, 25-30, victory at Toledo, the Illini reached that goal with an 8-2 record heading into Big Ten play. The match also marked the 200th win by Hardin at Illinois. Senior Vicki Brown had 15 kills in 28 swings and hit.429 in her return to her hometown of Toledo. Freshman Laura DeBruler had another impressive outing with 23 kills, including eight in game two, to go along with 11 digs. Stefanie Alde had a season-high 15 kills, three off her career best. Johannah Bangert added nine kills and hit.533. Illinois hit.341 and.361 as a team in the first two games in winning those going away. Alde had five kills in the first game and the Illini used the aggressive serve to convert four service aces in that game. Toledo's aggressive serve put Illinois out of system and off rhythm in the third game, but the Illini recovered to again be the aggressor in the third game, hitting.290 in that game. Shannon Strachan had eight kills in game three for Toledo (3-8) and finished with 24 kills for the match. The Illini finished with 10 aces as a team, paced by three apiece from Amy Palash and Ashley Edinger. Lizzie Bazzetta Illinois led in digs with four players in double digits - Edinger (23), Palash (14), DeBruler (13) and junior Kristine Anderson (10). DeBruler Brown Palash Anderson Bazzetta Bangert Zarytsky Edinger Alde Totals Toledo GP K-E-TA Pct. A SA-SE DIG BS-BA PTS Kersting Strachan Wilson Westerfeld Holt Ladd Kreher Nissen Ruth Sundburg Totals A: 115 MATCH 11 #9 WISCONSIN 3, ILLINOIS 1 (39-41, 31-29, 30-14, 30-20) SEPT. 19, 2007 // HUFF HALL // CHAMPAIGN, ILL. The first two games at Huff Hall were about as entertaining as you can get in volleyball. Illinois and Wisconsin fought back and forth in front of a live nationally televised Big Ten Network audience. The Illini crowd, the swings of Laura DeBruler and Vicki Brown, and unbelievable pancake digs from Ashley Edinger put a scare into the ninth-ranked team in the land. In the end, Wisconsin regrouped to post a 39-41, 31-29, 30-14, victory in the Big Ten opener. The first game had all the intensity of a late-season showdown. Illinois never trailed in a game that was the longest in Illini history, bettering a game one victory over Michigan State on Oct. 26, Illinois opened a pair of significant leads at 13-8 and DeBruler and Amy Palash swiped balls off the block and Lizzie Bazzetta served up big sets to middle blocker Vicki Brown, who found the floor nine times in 14 swings in game one. The ending of the game was epic. Illinois had 10 match points before Palash served the final point in the game. While game one was back and forth, game two almost saw the Illini make a huge comeback. Trailing 15-9 at the media timeout, the Illini out-scored the Badgers 11-1, including eight straight off the DeBruler serve to amazingly go in front Stefanie Alde had three kills and DeBruler a pair of aces in the rally. Alde and Bangert's big block made put an exclamation point of the run. The rest of the night, however, Wisconsin used a big block to get Illinois out-of rhythm. DeBruler finished with another 20- kill match (21) with 63 swings while amassing a season-best 15 digs. Brown had 17 kills while hitting.367. Edinger finished with 16 and 13 digs, respectively. Senior right side hitter Stefanie Alde had 13 kills in 36 swings. DeBruler Brown Palash Anderson Bazzetta Bangert Nelson Edinger Kump Alde Totals WISC GP K-E-TA Pct. A SA-SE DIG BS-BA PTS Simpson Dolgner Dykstra Reinke Jeffers DuPont Salow Berkley Wack, A Wack, J Mills Totals MATCH 12 #10 MICHIGAN 3, ILLINOIS 2 (30-27, 23-30, 30-27, 28-30, 15-13) SEPT. 22, 2007 // CLIFF KEEN ARENA // ANN ARBOR, MICH. For the second time in three days, Illinois had a top-10 opponent on the ropes - this time on the road. The Illini rallied on numerous occasions, but 10th-ranked Michigan held on for a 30-27, 23-30, 30-27, 28-30, victory over Illinois Friday night. Illinois got a solid team effort with four players in double digits in kills. Freshman Johannah Bangert had a big night, hitting.500 with 10 kills and tying for the team lead with seven blocks, including three solos. Freshman Laura DeBruler had 18 kills and added 11 digs for Illinois. Senior middle blocker Vicki Brown had 17 kills, hit.344 and added seven blocks. Senior right side hitter Stefanie Alde tallied 16 kills and junior setter Lizzie Bazzetta had a seasonbest 62 assists to along with 12 digs. Defensively, Illinois had some shining moments. The Illini had 14 team blocks and 71 digs, paced by sophomore libero Ashley Edinger's 21 digs. An emotional Illini looked as if they were going to close it out in game five. Trailing 7-3, Illinois went in front DeBruler had two cross court winners and combined with Brown for a big left side block. However, Michigan tied the score at 10 and 11 before surging in front DeBruler Brown Palash Alde Bazzetta Bangert Zarvtsky Nelson Edinger Anderson Totals MICH GP K-E-TA Pct. A SA-SE DIG BS-BA PTS Bruzdzinski Karpiak Draves Miller Hance Zimmerman Selsky Bower Rood Busch Totals A:1,202 A: 1, NCAA BIDS // 9 SWEET 16S // 2 FINAL FOURS // 61