Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Aug 28, 2014 11:16:48 GMT -5
From Daily Illini:
Long Beach State at Illinois
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Huff Hall
TV/Radio: WDWS 1400 AM
Quick notes: Ninth annual “Stuff Huff” event. Long Beach State beat the Illini 3-1 on Aug. 30 last season.
Hidden stat: The Illini are 1-4 all-time against Long Beach State, with their lone victory coming on Oct. 29, 1988.
Posted: Thursday, August 28, 2014 12:00 am | Updated: 12:56 am, Thu Aug 28, 2014.
By Stephen Bourbon | Senior writer | 0 comments
As is the norm with the program, Illinois has one of the toughest schedules in the country.
It’s no surprise, then, that the Illini host storied programs Long Beach State and No. 20 North Carolina, as two of their first three matches of the season at the Illini Classic this weekend at Huff Hall.
The Illini kick off the season with the ninth annual “Stuff Huff” event against Long Beach State tomorrow. The festivities include a foam party outside Huff Hall, starting at 5:30 p.m., with a live DJ and free Jimmy John’s and freeze pops for the first 750 patrons.
“The Stuff Huff event, to me, is one of the best collegiate volleyball events. I haven’t been to many things like it,” head coach Kevin Hambly said.
Illinois will then face Southern Illinois at 10 a.m. Saturday, followed by the nightcap against No. 20 North Carolina at 7. These will be the only nonconference home matches of the season for the Illini.
The Illini faced off against Long Beach State and North Carolina last season. They dropped their second match of the season in 2013 to the 49ers, 3-1, in the Long Beach State Classic. The Illini then traveled out to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to face the Tar Heels three weeks later and were swept in three sets.
“Playing against another team and having a big crowd here will be really exciting,” outside hitter Jocelynn Birks said. “All the teams coming in this weekend are good teams.”
With those games a full calendar year ago, Hambly said the team wouldn’t be looking too closely at the film from last year due to how much both sides have evolved since then.
“We’re looking mainly at system and then we can learn on the fly,” Hambly said. “But our kids are equipped for that.”
North Carolina will also have opposite side hitter Chaniel Nelson back in the lineup. The redshirt senior missed the entire 2013 season due to injury, but has been extremely effective when healthy. Nelson is a two-time All-ACC performer and was named AVCA All-American Honorable Mention in 2011.
“North Carolina took it to us pretty good last year, so we’re looking forward to playing against them,” Hambly said. “I have them ranked higher than No. 20, they’re a really good team.”
For the Illini, the new season will debut a handful of changes to the rotation. The program’s all-time digs leader Jennifer Beltran graduated, so there has been open competition at libero since the spring between Brandi Donnelly, Julia Conard and Danielle Davis. Donnelly, a freshman, played four sets at libero during the team’s intrasquad scrimmage, while Davis and Conard played two sets apiece.
This year’s Illini will also feature a 6-2 offense, which means playing two setters in the match and having three attacking players in the front row at all times. The setter position also has seen competition between returning players Alexis Viliunas and McKenna Kelsay, along with Arizona State transfer Allison Palmer.