Post by palo on Aug 23, 2006 11:59:38 GMT -5
2006 Illinois Volleyball Preview
Illini looking for 21st winning season in past 24 years.
Aug. 21, 2006
Coach Don Hardin on.....
With a lot of new faces, the team will have a different look. What changes will fans notice this year?
We should have improved passing with the addition of Kristine Anderson, Kylie McCulley and especially Ashley Eddinger. In addition, we have the improvements that returning players have made in this regard. This was a vulnerable area last season and it should be dramatically different.
Explain the new approach to training. How has that regimen paid off?
In the past, we have been able to have success getting the team to the top 20 and occasionally the top 10 level. The new demands and quality of staffing should help us get to that higher phase more often and solidify our program as a perennial force among the nation's best.
How will the addition of Ashley Edinger in the back row affect the team as a whole?
Ashley will be a real thorn in the side of our Big Ten opponents. Nothing happens in volleyball without consistent serve receive and she is one of the best. In addition, her defense will excite our team and our fans. Great defense is infectious and we are about to become infected.
Last year Rachel VanMeter took 40 percent of the swings? Who do you see being the team's go-to hitters this year?
We will be much more balanced. We have experience returning in our middles. Vicki and Mac have made great improvements. Henderson adds great depth and versatility at the middle, but she also can contribute on the outside. Kayani is the wild card on the outside. If she continues to improve and stays healthy, we will have a very steady influence. Kylie could also be interesting as a freshman along with our two transfers, Alde and Palash.
SETTER
Who's Back: Sophomore Lizzie Bazzetta (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North H.S.) took over Illinois' setting duties on Oct. 7 after an array of injuries forced shuffling of the lineup. Bazzetta was solid, totaling 824 assists for the season, including 66 in a five-game victory over Michigan State and 68 in a five-game win over Purdue late in the season. Bazzetta also had four kills and hit .333 in the win over Michigan State and three kills while hitting .429 vs. Michigan at Huff Hall.
Prior to becoming the full-time setter, Bazzetta shared the duties with senior Stephanie Obermeier (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge H.S.) . Obermeier still gives Illinois some flexibility at the position. Obermeier had 1,100 assists in 2004 and tallied 693 assists in the first half of the 2005 season, including 65 assists in a five-game comeback at Ohio State. The Illini hit over .300 in each of their final three matches at the Northern Illinois Tournament early in the season with Obermeier at setter. Obermeier also will be used as a defensive specialist, where she has 348 digs in two years.
OUTSIDE HITTER
Who's Back: Who knew that when athletic trainer Randy Ballard dubbed and Vicki Brown (Toldeo, Ohio/Roy C. Start H.S.) as the Batman and Robin of the Illini volleyball team, the nicknames would stick in the minds of the fans? Students donned costumes of the Caped Crusaders in honor of the dynamic duo.
While Brown moved to the middle last year, Turner emerged on the outside after missing all of her freshman year to injury. Turner had some impressive moments last year, including a 15-kill performance vs. nationally-ranked Louisville and a career-best 20-kill performance in the same Las Vegas Tournament vs. host UNLV. In both matches, Turner hit over .300.
Turner missed the final six matches of the season with a stress fracture in her left tibia.
WHO'S NOT: The biggest hurdle Illinois will face will, no doubt, be replacing the big swing of Rachel VanMeter. VanMeter set Illinois records for attack attempts in a game (99 vs. Purdue), a season (1,786) and a career (4,462). The 1,786 attempts are also most by any Big Ten player in a single season.
VanMeter took over 40 percent of the Illini's swings on the year and turned those into 672 kills, which were second in Illinois histry to only Erin Borske's 714 in 1995.
Illinois also must also replace outside hitter Rasa Virsilaite, the likable Lithuanian. Despite suffering an array of injuries, Virsilaite had some great performances. The most notable came after reaggravating a meniscus tear the night before blasting a career-high 23 kills in the win over Iowa in the season finale.
NEWCOMERS: With the loss of VanMeter and Virsilaite and a shortage of returnees at outside hitter, much of the time at both the right and left side will be filled by new faces. The most notable could be freshman Kylie McCulley (Clinton, Ill./Clinton H.S.). One of the top players to come out of the Champaign area in recent memory, McCulley was the two-time News-Gazette Player of the Year two years ago winning the honor in 2004 over Kelly Schmidt, who starts for Minnesota. Head Coach Don Hardin says that McCulley could be the best leaper he has coached in his illustrious career. She ended her high school career with 1,342 kills, 263 blocks, and 527 digs.
Another transfer, junior Amy Palash (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis H.S.), will figure in the plans for the fall. Palash had two successful seasons at Valparaiso, including earning a spot on the Mid-Continent All-Freshman team in 2004 and the first team All-MCC squad in 2005. Palash posted a team-leading 3.46 kills per game for the Crusaders, who advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Senior Amelia Coleman (Monticello, Ill./Monticello H.S.) rounds outs the outside hitters. Coleman was an all-area outside hitter, team MVP and first-team All-Okaw Conference performer in high school. She was also named the Most Improved Forward on the U of I club rugby team which advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2004.
MIDDLE BLOCKER
Who's Back: Brown emerged as a fan favorite with her energetic play. After a successful freshman campaign at outside hitter, Brown was moved back to her natural position of middle blocker last year. Last season, Brown and Turner gave glimpses of what the duo could be like this year with Brown complementing Turner's 20 kills with seven blocks vs. UNLV. A week later, Brown recorded 22 kills in 42 attempts and tallied seven blocks in two matches at the State Farm Illini Classic to earn all-tournament honors.
Brown and Turner are expected be the major cogs in the offense after the graduation of VanMeter.
Meghan Macdonald (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South H.S.) brings two years of experience as a starter into her senior season. Macdonald joined Brown on the All-Tournament team at the 2005 State Farm Illini Classic. She has a chance to finish among the top 10 in hitting percentage in school history with a .282 mark coming into the 2005 season.
Sophomore Rachel Henderson (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton-Warrenville South H.S.) was the ultimate team player a year ago. Because of the team injury situation, Henderson played out of position most of the year as both a defensive specialist and an outside hitter. With a more balanced line-up, particularly in the back row, Henderson will have a chance to shine this year. She showed glimpses of that talent by combining with Macdonald for the game-winning block vs. nationally-ranked Purdue in November.
NEWCOMER: Stefanie Alde (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville H.S.) comes to Illinois after playing two seasons at Northwestern. She is one of three transfers on the Illinois roster. Alde enrolled for the 2006 spring semester and took a key role during off-season workouts and tournaments. Alde appeared in 36 matches in two seasons with the Wildcats, tallying 81 kills, 40 blocks, 18 digs and 11 aces as a freshman.
DEFENSE
Who's Back: Beth Vrdsky (Downers Grove, Ill./D.G. South H.S.) returns for her senior season as a defensive specialist/libero. Last season as the full-time libero, Vrdsky set a new Illinois single-season digs record by posting 520. Vrdsky was especially sharp late in the year when her 45 digs in two victories over Purdue and Indiana earned her Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. She begins her senior season 67 digs shy of 1,000 for her career.
NEWCOMERS: Ashley Edinger (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City H.S.) is one of the most heralded freshmen to commit to Illinois in recent years. Edinger was voted one of the Top 50 "Senior Aces" and the top libero nationally by prepvolleyball.com. She has the potential to define the position at Illinois.
A South Bend Tribune reporter touting her play this summer said, "What Edinger is, is special. A University of Illinois recruit and a former member of the U.S. junior national team that played in China last summer, she's in a class by herself."
Edinger holds Michigan City High School season and career records for kills (570 in 2005 and 1,644 overall), attack percentage (.488 in 2005 and .457 overall), digs (499 in 2004 and 1,712 overall), and aces (140 in 2004 and 427 overall).
Kristine Anderson (Clinton, Ill./Clinton H.S.) joins high school teammate McCulley after transferring from Parkland College, where she set a school record and ranked fourth in the nation in digs (1,075) last season.
THE SCHEDULE
Illinois will play 17 matches against 11 different teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2006.
The most significant switch in the schedule is the move of the State Farm Illini Classic. The Tournament, which will now feature a true round robin, will be held Aug. 25-26 to start the season. NCAA qualifier Winthrop, Illinois State and UW-Milwaukee join Illinois. The tournament features a Saturday afternoon round in addition to Friday and Saturday night. Illinois meets four more NCAA qualifiers during the pre-conference season -- Loyola, which won the Horizon League championship; College of Charleston, which went 30-1 during the 2005 regular season and won at North Carolina in the NCAA first round, before falling to Purdue in round two; UNC and Dayton.
The Big Ten opens and closes strong. Traditional powers Wisconsin and Minnesota invade Huff Hall during the first weekend of conference play Sept. 22-23. The Badgers were one step away from the Final Four last year, falling to eventual national champion Washington in the Regional Final. Minnesota reached the Final Four in both 2003 and 2004. The season concludes with one of the toughest trips of the year at Ohio State and Penn State.
OUTLOOK
Illinois will rely on some newcomers to play key roles in the regular rotation. With Edinger, the Illini have a potential marquee player in the back row, which playing alongside Vrdsky and Obermeier, giving the Illini the passing that will help get the ball to a quality setter in Bazzetta. That will help the Illini take more advantage of its strong middle. If the Illini stay healthy, they could push for another upper-division Big Ten finish.
