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Post by Pasquale on Dec 8, 2019 18:09:01 GMT -5
Alas, another Illinois volleyball season has ended. Congrats to the team and coaches for putting up a great fight Friday night in Provo. As always, you made Illini fans proud. Special thanks to the four seniors for so many great matches over the years - good luck in the next chapters of your lives.
Looking ahead, there are many question marks for next season. Who will replace the two outstanding pin hitters (Prince and Quade), the dynamic duo from Indiana? What outsides will become six-rotation players? Does Tamas move Cooney back to the right side? Who replaces Fleming in the middle? Who will provide leadership on the court? While next year may be a rebuilding year with more hiccups, I think the future for Illinois is bright. Barring any transfers, here is a look at next year's roster:
Seniors
Megan Cooney, 6'4", Opp/OH
Kylee Bruder, 5'11", S/DS
Emily Hollowell, 6'4", Opp/OH
Morgan O'Brien, 5'8", L
Juniors
Taylor Kuper, 5'8", DS
Mica Allison, 6'1", S/Opp
Sophomores
Kennedy Collins, 6'3", MH
Rylee Hinton, 6'2", MH
Diana Brown, 6'0", S
Kyla Swanson, 6'4", MH
Bruna Vrankovic, 6'2", OH
Alyssa Eske, 5'5", DS
Madison Chi, 5'8", DF
Freshmen
Ellie Holzman, 6'2", OH
Maddie Whittington, 6'4", MH/Opp
Raina Terry, 6'2", OH
Sophie Gregus, 6'0", OH
Apologies if I've missed anyone (especially any incoming defensive specialists).
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Post by exit237a on Dec 8, 2019 18:22:07 GMT -5
Thanks, Pasquale! Saw that you'd created each of the past two Illinois season threads, so was looking forward to your 2020 thread. Looking forward to discussing the upcoming season!
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Post by Pasquale on Dec 9, 2019 12:11:28 GMT -5
Happy to get the conversation started, Exit. I had hoped that we would not have to start this discussion for another week or two, but here we are.
As much as I loved watching Prince and Quade, I'm excited to see the young players develop on the outside. It may be a while before we see another Illini player with such a beautiful BIC as Quade. I think Holzman and Terry have the potential to become elite players. I'd also love to see Hollowell get more playing time. From the videos I've seen, Gregus has a nice arm and can also play back row. And then there's Bruna. There are lots of question marks, but also lots of potential. The spring season should be telling.
If I remember correctly, the Illini are due to travel abroad this coming summer. Hopefully, they will be able to travel/play together this summer and have more time to develop as a team.
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Post by Pasquale on Dec 9, 2019 21:17:15 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2019 22:26:06 GMT -5
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Post by Pasquale on Dec 10, 2019 23:51:48 GMT -5
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Post by exit237a on Dec 11, 2019 14:10:29 GMT -5
If the B1G follows the conference schedule pattern they've been using the past four seasons, here's what the conference slate would look like for the 2020 Illini:
Opponents playing twice (home and away)
Maryland
Michigan State
Nebraska
Northwestern (looks like perennial two match foe)
Purdue
Rutgers
Wisconsin
Opponents playing once
Indiana - at Huff Hall
Iowa - Away
Michigan - Away
Minnesota - at Huff Hall
Ohio State - at Huff Hall
Penn State - Away
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Post by Pasquale on Dec 12, 2019 10:39:42 GMT -5
If the B1G follows the conference schedule pattern they've been using the past four seasons, here's what the conference slate would look like for the 2020 Illini: Opponents playing twice (home and away)Maryland Michigan State Nebraska Northwestern (looks like perennial two match foe) Purdue Rutgers Wisconsin Opponents playing onceIndiana - at Huff Hall Iowa - Away Michigan - Away Minnesota - at Huff Hall Ohio State - at Huff Hall Penn State - Away This is interesting - thanks for pulling this together. Penn State, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Minnesota all return core starters and should all be even better next year. It will be fun to see our young players develop and compete against these teams. |
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Post by exit237a on Dec 13, 2019 14:59:59 GMT -5
It would be cool to be a fly on the wall in the practice gym to watch the lineup evolve this offseason. Tamas used this past season's spring matches to test out multiple lineups against the competition and I'd bet we'll see that approach again this spring.
Tamas experimented with Mica playing five rotations in the first two sets of the home match against Penn State, subbing out for one rotation at the left pin. Brown set her at least a couple times for attacks out of the back row, from that back right side.
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Post by Pasquale on Dec 14, 2019 10:01:29 GMT -5
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Dec 14, 2019 10:32:58 GMT -5
A day late Kennedy...
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2019 11:05:55 GMT -5
The setter position is an interesting one for me. I have to assume they brought Mica in to compete for that role. However, she was injured early in the year. And then it seemed like they needed her more at RS when Cooney had to move to OH. If Cooney has to stay at OH next year, then I think Mica stays at RS. If other OH can step up and Cooney can go back to her natural RS position, does Mica challenge for the setter position?
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Post by Pasquale on Dec 15, 2019 11:46:48 GMT -5
The setter position is an interesting one for me. I have to assume they brought Mica in to compete for that role. However, she was injured early in the year. And then it seemed like they needed her more at RS when Cooney had to move to OH. If Cooney has to stay at OH next year, then I think Mica stays at RS. If other OH can step up and Cooney can go back to her natural RS position, does Mica challenge for the setter position? Barring injuries, we should have depth (if not experience) on the outside with Hollowell, Vrankovic, Holzman, Terry and Gregus. I'd prefer to see Cooney back on the right side and Mica competing for the setter position. My biggest question is which OH will emerge as a consistent passer and six-rotation player. Would be great to have two outsides come in and play six-rotations. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2019 14:28:23 GMT -5
The setter position is an interesting one for me. I have to assume they brought Mica in to compete for that role. However, she was injured early in the year. And then it seemed like they needed her more at RS when Cooney had to move to OH. If Cooney has to stay at OH next year, then I think Mica stays at RS. If other OH can step up and Cooney can go back to her natural RS position, does Mica challenge for the setter position? Barring injuries, we should have depth (if not experience) on the outside with Hollowell, Vrankovic, Holzman, Terry and Gregus. I'd prefer to see Cooney back on the right side and Mica competing for the setter position. My biggest question is which OH will emerge as a consistent passer and six-rotation player. Would be great to have two outsides come in and play six-rotations. Depending on depth at the DS, Wisconsin is showing that a 6 rotation OH is not a requirement. None of their pin hitters play back row. |
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Post by alt on Dec 15, 2019 16:54:06 GMT -5
The setter position is an interesting one for me. I have to assume they brought Mica in to compete for that role. However, she was injured early in the year. And then it seemed like they needed her more at RS when Cooney had to move to OH. If Cooney has to stay at OH next year, then I think Mica stays at RS. If other OH can step up and Cooney can go back to her natural RS position, does Mica challenge for the setter position? This Illinois team is a lot better when Cooney is on the RS. During the Utah game Cooney looked strong on the RS with swings and blocks. While Mica can hit pretty well on the RS she is a liability on the block. Cooney touches a lot of balls when she is blocking RS. Honestly RS is a really important position, and Cooney is best equipt to play that spot. I think if Holzman comes back strong she will be our strong OH that we need with loosing Quade. I think Whittington is a dark horse. She is strong and physical. |
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