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 THE FIGHTING ILLINI HEAD COACH DON HARDIN ASSISTANT COACH KEVIN HAMBLY ASSISTANT COACH JEN OLDENBURG VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT MARY HAMBLY SUPPORT STAFF LIZZIE BAZZETTA VICKI BROWN RACHEL HENDERSON MEGHAN MACDONALD STEPHANIE OBERMEIER KAYANI TURNER BETH VRDSKY STEPHANIE ALDE KRISTINE ANDERSON AMELIA COLEMAN ASHLEY EDINGER KYLIE MCCULLEY AMY PALASH

3 DON HARDIN HEAD COACH 11TH SEASON AT ILLINOIS 19TH SEASON OVERALL Don Hardin and Illinois volleyball are deeply intertwined. In five years as an assistant coach and 10 more as head coach, Hardin has been a part of half of the 33-year history of Illinois volleyball. Over that time, Hardin has been a part of eight of Illinois 16 NCAA appearances, including the 1987 Final Four. Through the years, Hardin has put into practice all the aspects that make a successful program, and as Illinois begins its fourth decade, the Illini program continues to be a national leader. Hardin believes in the connection between the entire Illinois volleyball family -- players, coaches, fans, parents, support staff, administrators, faculty, community, and the student body. After storming into the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2003, Hardin garnered Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career. Then in 2004, he helped engineer a 3-2 comback win over then-no. 1 USC in the championship match of the Illini Classic. The win ended USC s NCAA - record 52-match winning streak. Hardin, who recorded his 300th career victory with Illinois win over Connecticut on Sept. 14, 2002, guided Illinois to its best season since 1992 in 2003, with the Illini going 26-7 and tying for second in the Big Ten. The Illini finished ranked No. 15 in the nation. In 2001, Illinois finished 20th in the nation and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual Final Four participant Arizona. Hardin was named Big Ten Coach of the Year by his fellow league coaches after directing the Illini to a 21-9 record and a fourth-place finish in the Big Ten. The Illini have participated in the NCAA Tournament five of the past eight seasons under Hardin, while teams coached by Hardin have reached the NCAA Tournament 11 of the last 15 years overall. In 1999, the Illini compiled an overall record of and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, narrowly missing a trip to the Sweet 16 in a hard fought five-game loss to Florida. Hardin s 1998 squad finished the season ranked 14th in the nation with a record of and reached the NCAA Sweet 16 before losing to eventual national champion Long Beach State in the NCAA Mountain Regional semifinals. In his first two seasons at Illinois, Hardin always produced competitive teams. This occurred despite the fact that he had only one junior and one senior in the program when he took the reins on Jan. 19, In 1997, Hardin's squad, which included only six upperclassmen, won four more matches than the prior season and was ranked among the AVCA Top 25 on two occasions. In 1996, he led his first Illinois team, with 10 players on the roster and eight underclassmen, to a record. He posted a dramatic win over 15th-ranked Louisville on the road and then led his UI squad to the championship of the Illini Classic. When Illinois defeated Indiana at Huff Hall on Nov. 8, it was Hardin's 200th career win as a head coach. Overall, Hardin has a record in 18 years as a head coach. He is in 10 seasons at Illinois. In addition, Hardin emphasizes academic performance with this student-athletes. In his first nine seasons, every player has returned in good academic standing. He has coached 41 Academic All-Big Ten winners at Illinois, while Melissa Beitz earned GTE/CoSIDA Academic All- District honors in 1998 and 99; Shadia Haddad was named Verizon/CoSIDA Academic-All District in 2001, and Kathleen Bazzetta earned that distinction in Hardin has had 44 players earn the university's George Huff Award, recognizing excellence in academics and athletics, while middle blocker Betsy Spicer was named the 2001 Big Ten Medal of Honor winner. Middle blocker Kelly Scherr also was a Medal of Honor recipient in Hardin has also made it a point to include his players in community activities. Several players are regular classroom visitors and tutors at Westview Elementary School in Champaign and Thomas Paine School in Urbana. In addition, he stresses the importance of volleyball's presence at UI's Hometown Heroes program, where studentathletes visit children throughout the year and talk about the importance of staying in school Don Hardin a the two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year. and away from drugs and alcohol. Hardin has also taken it upon himself to initiate a mentorship program for his players with female business leaders in the community. Like his players, Hardin is a frequent speaker in the Champaign- Urbana area. He has spoken at over 250 social and business clubs over the last nine years and is a regular at charity events and on local radio and television shows. In return, fans have continued to pour in to watch Hardin's teams. In his first 10 seasons, over 232,000 fans have packed into Huff Hall to watch the Illini. Illinois finished the 2004 season ranked 10th in the nation in attendance. Hardin began his head coaching career at the University of Louisville. During eight seasons, he built the Cardinals into one of the Midwest's most competitive programs. After leading his inaugural team to a record of in 1988, the first winning season at Louisville in five years, Hardin amassed seven consecutive 20-plus win seasons. His overall record at Louisville was for an impressive.716 winning percentage. By the time Hardin left Louisville, he had the highest winning percentage of any coach on that campus and had posted the most volleyball wins ever in Cardinals history. In eight years at Louisville, Hardin's teams won six conference titles. The 1994 team ended the season with a record of 29-5 while the 95 squad posted a 29-6 record. For his achievements, Hardin was named the 1991 Metro Coach of the Year and the 1995 Conference USA Coach of the Year. In 1990, Hardin's Cardinals earned the school's first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament. The 20 // 2006 ILLINOIS VOLLEYBALL

4 following year, in addition to posting an undefeated Metro regular season and postseason tournament sweep, Hardin's squad earned the school's first-ever national ranking and reached the NCAA tourney for the second time. All told, Hardin led the Cardinals to six consecutive NCAA tournaments. Prior to accepting the Louisville position, Hardin served as an assistant coach at Illinois from During his first stint at Illinois, he helped develop a Fighting Illini program that went from 5-25 in 1983 to 31-7 with an NCAA Final Four appearance in During Hardin's tenure, Illinois won Big Ten titles in 1986 and 1987 and had a winning percentage of.709. Hardin has always been known as a keen evaluator of talent and a strong recruiter, coaching Louisville's first Academic All- American, Laurie Maxwell. While at Illinois, he assisted in the recruiting of future All-Americans Nancy Brookhart and Laura Bush as well as future Honda National Player of the Year Mary Eggers. With Hardin back as head coach at THE DON HARDIN FILE Date of Birth: March 30, 1954 Education: B.S., Physical Education, University of Illinois, 1982 Illinois, the Fighting Illini signed what Volleyball Magazine ranked as the second-best recruiting class in the nation in In 1997, Hardin inked three all-state players from Illinois and signed four-time Ohio state champion Shadia Haddad in He recruited Volleyball Magazine First-Team All-American Shelly O Bryan in 1999 and this year brings in the top libero in the nation in Ashley Edinger., solidifying the future of Illinois volleyball for the next several years. Prior to joining the Illini staff as an assistant, Hardin served three years as the recreation and intramural program coordinator at The Ohio State University while attending classes full-time and participating as a varsity athlete. His coaching career actually began at the University of Pittsburgh, where he served as a player/coach for the men's volleyball team. He also assisted with the Pitt women's team, which won the Eastern Regional AIAW Championship. Hardin also made a name for himself on the playing court. While competing in volleyball at Pittsburgh, he was named an Eastern Collegiate League All-Star. Hardin went HEAD COACHING RECORD YEAR TEAM RECORD HIGHLIGHTS 2005 Illinois Illinois NCAA First Round 2003 Illinois 26-7 NCAA Sweet 16; Big Ten Coach of the Year 2002 Illinois Illinois 21-9 NCAA 2nd Round; Big Ten Coach of the Year 2000 Illinois Illinois NCAA 2nd Round 1998 Illinois NCAA Sweet Illinois Illinois At Illinois (.583) 1995 Louisville 29-6 Conference USA Champs; NCAA 2nd Round Conference USA Coach of the Year 1994 Louisville 29-5 Metro Conference Champs; NCAA Tournament 1993 Louisville NCAA Tournament 1992 Louisville 24-9 Metro Conference Champs; NCAA Tournament 1991 Louisville 28-8 Metro Conference Champs; NCAA Tournament Metro Conference Coach of the Year 1990 Louisville 22-8 Metro Conference Champs; NCAA Tournament 1989 Louisville Metro Conference Champs 1988 Louisville At Louisville (.716) TOTAL (.646) Don & Kim Hardin on to play two years at Ohio State where his teams won consecutive Midwest Regional titles in 1981 and 1982, finishing third and fourth, respectively, in the NCAA championships. His collegiate playing days were separated by a stint in the U.S. Air Force, in which Hardin served from Hardin continued to play volleyball in the armed forces. While serving at March Air Force Base in Spangdahelm, Germany, Hardin served as tournament director for the USAF European Region of the U.S. Volleyball Association and was twice selected to the USAF All-Star camp. He also was awarded the European Services MVP award. A native of Indiana, Pa., Hardin received his undergraduate degree in physical education from the University of Illinois in He and his wife Kim, who works as a physical therapist, reside in Champaign. meet the staff OTHER EXPERIENCE , University of Illinois Recreation & Intramural Program Coordinator, Ohio State Univ , University of Pittsburgh United States Air Force, March AFB, Spangdahelm, Germany 16 NCAA BIDS // 9 SWEET 16S // 2 FINAL FOURS // 21

5 KEVIN HAMBLY ASSISTANT COACH 3RD SEASON AT ILLINOIS 11TH SEASON OVERALL THE HAMBLY FILE HOMETOWN Simi Valley, Calif. EDUCATION BS, Sport Management University of Illinois, 2006 FAMILY Wife, Mary; Daughter, Quinn PLAYING EXPERIENCE BYU, MUC Club, Montpelier, France, COACHING EXPERIENCE UNLV, USA Olympic Team Minnesota Chill, 2002 Volunteer Assistant University of Illinois, University of Illinois, 2006-present Kevin Hambly begins his third year on the Illinois bench and moves into a full-time assistant coach role. Hambly has brought national team experience to the Illini program, helping to implement elite-level training and philosophy. Hambly regularly helps break down film and brings expertise from his work with the U.S. National Team. Hambly joined the squad after serving as an assistant coach for the USA Volleyball team at the Olympics in Athens, his fourth year as an assistant coach for the USA Women s National Team under head coach Toshi Yoshida. Hambly is one of the more respected coaches in the country, having served as an assistant at UNLV and a standout player at BYU prior to his stint with USA Volleyball. Hambly also has served as the head coach of Highline men s club team and as an assistant for Minnesota of the USPV, leading the Chill to the first-ever USPV championship in His head coaching experience has extended to the national level, were he was the head coach of the USA Women s National Training Team for two tournaments during his tenure with USA Volleyball. In 2002, he guided the team at the Pan American Cup in Mexico. In 2003, he led the team at the Mexicali Centenarian Women s Volleyball Cup. A native of Simi Valley, Calif., Hambly played at BYU from A middle blocker for the Cougars, he was named to the Volleyball Monthly All-Freshman Team in 1992, selected as a third-team All-American in 1994 and earned American Volleyball Coaches Association first-team All-America honors in He also participated on the USA Men's Volleyball National B team in KEVIN HAS TO BE THE MOST EXPERIENCED AND QUALIFIED ASSISTANT COACH IN THE COUNTRY. I ENJOY WORKING WITH HIM IMMENSELY. HE NOT ONLY BRINGS A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE, BUT ALSO IS A CATALYST FOR GREAT CHEMISTRY AMONGST THE STAFF. -- Don Hardin Hambly played for Montpellier, a first-division professional club team in France following graduation. He was a five-sport athlete at Royal High School, where he played basketball and volleyball. Hambly was a High School All-American in volleyball. 22 // 2006 ILLINOIS VOLLEYBALL

6 JEN OLDENBURG ASSISTANT COACH 3RD SEASON AT ILLINOIS 4TH SEASON OVERALL THE OLDENBURG FILE HOMETOWN Pittsburgh, Pa. FAMILY Husband, Steve EDUCATION B.A., Sport & Leisure Studies Ohio State, 2000 PLAYING EXPERIENCE Baldwin H.S., Ohio State, Grand Rapids Force, 2002 USA National Team, COACHING EXPERIENCE Volunteer Assistant Ohio State 2001 University of Illinois, 2004-present Jen (Flynn) Oldenburg begins her third year as an assistant at Illinois after an impressive playing career. Oldenburg was one of the top setters in the country in recent years, starting at setter for the USA National Team and leading the Americans to the Silver Medal at the 2002 Word Championships. She also was a starter for the Grand Rapids Force of the USPV and played on the USPV Dream Team, starting at setter for the Millennium Cup champion USPV All-Stars. Oldenburg grew up in Pittsburgh, Pa., and played at Ohio State from She helped lead the Buckeyes to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior in 99. She was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and four-time Ohio State scholar athlete. Oldenburg, who was both a hitter and a setter during her collegiate career, ranks fourth in OSU history with 3,213 assists, seventh with 1,138 digs and 10th with 274 blocks. Oldenburg earned a bachelor s degree in sport and leisure studies and was a volunteer assistant coach at Ohio State in She had most recently been working in the Rockford, Mich., elementary school system. She has shared her expertise at the Jen Flynn Setter Clinic in Columbus, Ohio. Steve & Jen Oldenburg Oldenburg s success started in high school, where she helped lead Baldwin High School to the 1995 state championship. JEN HAS A KEEN EYE FOR IMPORTANT DETAILS AND IS AN EXCEPTIONAL ROLE MODEL FOR OUR A three-sport athlete, she was a first team All-WPIAL in volleyball, basketball, and softball. She earned Gatorade/Pennsylvania Volleyball Player of the Year and was named the Female Athlete of the Year by both the Pittsburgh Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune. In 2001, Oldenburg was inducted into the Baldwin High School Hall of Fame. Her husband, Steve is a strength and conditioning coach for the University of Illinois. PLAYERS. SHE IS FIERCE COMPETITOR AND HAS HAD AN INCREDIBLE IMPACT ON OUR ATHLETES BY TEACHING THEM WHAT IT MEANS TO PREPARE ONESELF FOR COMPETITION. SHE PROVIDES A VERY IMPORTANT BALANCE TO OUR STAFF. -- Don Hardin 16 NCAA BIDS // 9 SWEET 16S // 2 FINAL FOURS // 23

7 MARY HAMBLY ASSISTANT COACH 3RD SEASON AT ILLINOIS THE HAMBLY FILE HOMETOWN Palos Park, Ill. FAMILY Husband, Kevin; Daughter, Quinn EDUCATION BS, Kinesiology Illinois, 1999 PLAYING EXPERIENCE Mother McAuley H.S., University of Illinois, Weisbaden Volleyball Club, 2000 Minnesota Chill, 2002 COACHING EXPERIENCE Director Elevation Volleyball Camps, Colorado Spring, Colo., Mary (Coleman) Hambly begins her third season as an assistant coach with the Fighting Illini. She has helped engineer the recruiting efforts that have produced dividends already. This year, the Illini garnered Ashley Edinger, the top rated libero in the country. Hambly has also continued the strong line of top-notch assistant coaches the Illini have produced. One of the all-time greats at Illinois, Mary is married to Kevin Hambly, Illinois assistant coach. A native of Palos Park, Ill., Hamby had a stellar career for the Illini, lettering from , in addition to earning honorable mention All-Big Ten and Academic All-Big Ten honors in 96. During her tenure, the outside hitter helped lead the Illini to two NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Sweet 16 and a final national ranking of 14th during her senior season of Hambly ranks second in UI history with 1,707 career kills and was the school s all-time leader in attack attempts until surpassed by Rachel VanMeter in She also ranks second in school history with 1,393 digs and is 10th with 115 aces. Mary and Kevin Hambly with daughter Quinn. Volunteer Coach University of Illinois, 2004-present After earning her degree in kinesiology, Hambly played professionally in Germany for the Weisbaden Volleyball Club in 2000 and in the former USPV with the Minnesota Chill. She worked in Chicago as a sales representative and came to Illinois after serving as a director for Elevation Volleyball Camps in Colorado Springs, Colo., while also managing a local business. A native of Chicago, Hambly played for perennial powerhouse Mother McAuley, leading the Mighty Macs to the 1994 state title and earning the Daily Southtown Player of the Year award. MARY WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON OUR PROGRAM FROM THE VOLUNTEER POSITION. OUR FANS WILL SOON SEE THE TALENT SHE HAS HELPED TO SECURE DURING HER TWO SHORT YEARS AS A RECRUITER. HER LOYALTY TO ILLINOIS IS UNSURPASSED. SHE CARES DEEPLY ABOUT THE DIRECTION OF THIS PROGRAM AND WHAT IT MEANS TO REPRESENT ILLINOIS. Don Hardin 24 // 2006 ILLINOIS VOLLEYBALL

8 SUPPORT STAFF Allison Berg Marketing and Promotions Bethany Foss Ticket Manager Randy Ballard Athletic Trainer Kathy Hug Assistant Athletic Director Bethany Britton Office Manager Vince Ille Associate Athletic Director Terry Conlon Concessions Kathy Kaler Academic Counselor Becky Corbley Equipment Manager Mike Koon Sports Information Dave Loane Illini Sports Network Kevin Martinez Sports Information James Morton Assistant Athletic Director Jimmy Price Strength & Conditioning Dr. Jerrod Zimmerman Team Physician 16 NCAA BIDS // 9 SWEET 16S // 2 FINAL FOURS // 25