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Post by jma22 on Apr 15, 2014 2:34:02 GMT -5
They seem to be playing very well even as a split squad. That's a good sign, can't wait to see what they can do with the full roster against Kentucky on Saturday.
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Apr 15, 2014 10:25:03 GMT -5
Do you know the rosters for the two teams? Did you get the sense that one was the top line up and the other the reserves? Just going by the one photo I saw from Kansas City, it looked to me like the starters from last year may have been divided up between Illinois A and Illinois B. One squad was not all the first stringers, and the second all of the subs. In the photo of Illinois B playing Kansas, the UI lineup on the floor appeared to be Birks, Stark, Roustio, Conard, Stadick, and Palmer.
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Apr 16, 2014 10:47:18 GMT -5
Finally, an article in the local newspaper (Champaign News-Gazette) about recent 2016 verbal Kaylin Korte:
Morris star commits to Illini
Wed, 04/16/2014 - 9:52am | Jeff Huth Kaylin Korte, a sophomore outside hitter from Morris High School, has verbally committed to the Illinois volleyball team.
The 6-foot Korte led the Redskins in kills and ranked second in digs last fall during her first full season on the varsity team.
“She is a firecracker, always full of energy,” Morris coach Jackie Litwiller said Tuesday. “She’s the go-to person (for us) on the court. She is the one you want her to get as many touches on the ball as possible.”
Korte also had an offer from Loyola and was being followed by, among others, the Michigan and Northwestern staffs.
However, she decided not to delay her decision any longer after visiting the UI campus this spring and learning how highly regarded she was by Illini coach Kevin Hambly.
Korte said her coach at Joliet-based UNO Volleyball Club told her that Hambly had indicated he ranks her among the top three outside hitters in the nation in the Class of 2016.
“It’s awesome the feeling you get when a collegiate coach says that about you,” Korte said Tuesday. “It think it’s really important that he saw my potential. It just made me really excited because not every coach has said that about me.”
Her campus visit cinched the decision, she said.
“Obviously, I want to go for volleyball, but I have to look at it in the bigger picture,” Korte said. “I fell in love with the whole academic (program), everything outside of volleyball as well. It actually was really easy for me to commit.”
Korte is the second sophomore to pledge to Hambly’s program.
Last October, Class of 2016 outside hitter Jackie Quade of Fort Wayne (Ind.) Carroll committed to Illinois.
After playing several matches for Morris’ varsity late in her freshman season, Korte emerged in 2013 as a leader for a 19-15-1 Redskins team that reached the Class 3A regional finals before barely losing to eventual state runner-up LaSalle-Peru 25-9, 25-27, 28-26.
“I think it was my job to step up because I was a starting outside hitter,” Korte said. “I took it as my responsibility to be a leader on the court.”
Korte was one of two sophomores selected to The Joliet Herald-News’ 25-player All-Area team after hitting nearly .400 last season while recording 246 kills.
“She can read the court very well, which as a sophomore, that’s huge for the varsity level,” Litwiller said. “She’s very good with ball placement, and that was a big part of her having success with kills.
“She also can jump like no other. She can get up over the block.”
The All-Northern Illinois Big 12 East first-teamer also played a major role for the Redskins in the back row, finishing the season with 3.6 digs per set.
“She likes to play defense,” Litwiller said. “We kind of moved her around (as needed) in the back row. Up or down, she’s leading.
“She’s just one of those players that you don’t get very often, that you know she is going to do something special” at the next level.
On the way
A list of Illinois volleyball recruits who have orally committed:
Class of 2015
NAME, HIGH SCHOOL POS.
Alison Bastianelli, Marysville, Mich. MB
Jordyn Poulter, Centennial (Colo.) Eaglecrest S
Beth Prince, Avon (Ind.) OH
Class of 2016
Kaylin Korte, Morris OH
Jackie Quade, Ft. Wayne (Ind.) Carroll OH
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Apr 17, 2014 6:36:15 GMT -5
This posting came from the Wisconsin thread regarding the 4/16 match between the Badgers and Marquette:
"Oh, another thing: There was a lot of discussion during post-match Q&A and amongst fans after the match about people wanting fan buses for road trips this fall. A couple of fans volunteered to take the lead in coordinating the trips and have put together a website so people can sign up: badgervbfanbus.com. Jessica Yanz said she will send it out in the bulletin, but I figured I'd spread the word on here as well. It would be AWESOME to load up a couple of buses and head to Champaign to - ahem - repay the Illinois students for their enthusiasm last year."
Tom Rozanski and Networkers what do you think about this idea?
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Post by david on Apr 17, 2014 11:54:58 GMT -5
Maybe someone could sell them a group package on counterfeit tickets, then send them to Kinney where a live feed is sent to a 32" TV.
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Post by rainbowbadger on Apr 17, 2014 14:17:55 GMT -5
Maybe someone could sell them a group package on counterfeit tickets, then send them to Kinney where a live feed is sent to a 32" TV. What's the matter? Afraid of a little red in Huff Hall?
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Post by Wiswell on Apr 17, 2014 14:33:34 GMT -5
Maybe someone could sell them a group package on counterfeit tickets, then send them to Kinney where a live feed is sent to a 32" TV. What's the matter? Afraid of a little red in Huff Hall? hehe. Although I confess I'm not sure my legs could stand standing for an entire match. Maybe if we also brought those supermarket cashier mats...
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Post by rogero1 on Apr 17, 2014 20:39:21 GMT -5
Maybe someone could sell them a group package on counterfeit tickets, then send them to Kinney where a live feed is sent to a 32" TV. What's the matter? Afraid of a little red in Huff Hall? Add a bit of yellow and red turns to orange.
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Post by jma22 on Apr 19, 2014 15:17:46 GMT -5
Illini defeated Kentucky 3-1, with set scores of 25-22, 25-20, 20-25, 25-20. Different lineups were used for each set and everyone got a lot of playing time. One interesting thing I noticed was Stark played front row as a hitter after playing back row last season. She hit surprisingly well, seems like she's been working on that.
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Apr 20, 2014 4:38:01 GMT -5
The pleasant surprise of the spring has been the RS play of Stark. She is hitting with more confidence and power, and feeding off of a lot of great, deceptive back-setting by the setters. I have been a Stark fan since she stepped onto the court at Illinois.
Does Ali's RS emergence signal a 6-2 offense for Illinois this season?
Also notable, is the defensive play of freshman Brandi Donnelly. Fierce and fearless...who could tell she was experiencing her first taste of collegiate volleyball this spring.
I am officially pumped about the prospects of this new version of the Illini! Happy Easter, everyone!
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Post by WI FIB on Apr 20, 2014 19:57:31 GMT -5
Donnelly was amazing. She not only covers a ton of floor, but she *passes* well. She will enable the offense to improve drastically. She just needs to learn to read things a little better, but for someone who would normally be a month from graduating high school, she's an incredibly promising addition to the roster.
I also agree with the assessment on Stark. Her hitting is much improved, and her confidence seems way higher right now.
I'm looking forward to seeing how the team looks come August.
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Apr 22, 2014 14:04:51 GMT -5
Speaking of amazing defensive players, Richkern.com is reporting that 2016 5'8"libero Caroline Welsh from Westminster High School in Atlanta, Ga., has verbally committed to the Fighting Illini. She plays club for Mizuno A5. Her high school team finished runner-up in the Georgia Class AA (second smallest enrollment group of 6 divisions A-AAAAAA) state volleyball tournament last fall. Caroline was named All-State for class AA this season as a sophomore.
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Post by WI FIB on Apr 22, 2014 15:32:34 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2014 15:45:09 GMT -5
Is there any indication that Welsh is amazing? Who else offered her?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2014 18:59:01 GMT -5
Give Illinois staff credit for searching for defenders. They have been short on quality defense in past few years.
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