Northwestern outlasts Illinois, 3-1

[maninyellowhat]

fightingillini.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/recaps/110106aaa.html

Northwestern outlasts Illinois, 3-1

Kylie McCulley posts 20 kills in defeat

Nov. 1, 2006

CHAMPAIGN, Illinois head coach Don Hardin said once again that the getting close, but not quite getting over the top is taking its toll on his club.

"To get close in games and not be able to come away with wins is discouraging for everybody," Hardin said. "I saw a lot of fight early on and midway through the match, but we are facing an internal battle right now to try to get our fight back for the entire match."

That rang true again Wednesday night in a 30-25, 25-30, 30-26, 30-27 defeat to Northwestern (12-10, 6-7) at Huff Hall. In game three, for example, Illinois used the big block and the arm of freshman outside hitter Kylie McCulley to come back from a 15-8 deficit to tie it at 18-18, only to fall behind again. Then in game four, the Illini rallied from an 8-4 deficit to tie it at 12-12 before the Wildcats took control with an 8-2 run.

McCulley was a bright spot on the day as was fellow freshman Ashley Edinger, who tallied 18 digs. McCulley has been working the back row in practice with the absence of Kristine Anderson, who is out for the year with an ACL injury, and Amy Palash, who is also nursing an injury that has kept her out of practice. Wednesday, McCulley was put back to pass for the first time this season and responded with 20 kills, two digs and a service ace.

"If you didn't have a roster in your hand and you were seeing us for the first time, you wouldn't know who the freshmen are," Hardin said. "Inexperience is not an issue for us. We aren't winning as a team. The good news is we have plenty of season left to get our fight back in us."

For a time, it looked as if that fight was coming back. In game two, Illinois charged in front 5-0 off the service of Lizzie Bazzetta, who tossed in an ace in the rally. Although Northwestern battled back, the Wildcats never did take the lead in the game. With the game tied at 20, Edinger served up a pair of aces to put the Illini in front for good. Junior Stefanie Alde (6 kills) had a pair of kills down the stretch against her former team before Beth Vrdsky finished off the game with a service ace. The Illini had ten aces on the night.

The other three games were carbon copies of one another with Illinois showing glimpses of strong play, but not consistent enough to get the job done. "We need better consistency at all positions," Hardin said. "We need everyone at practice healthy to get a hold of that consistency."

Lindsay Anderson (21 kills) and Courtnie Paulus (13 kills) paced the Northwestern attack, which hit .262 for the match, including .444 in the first game.

Illinois hit .325 in game three and held the Wildcats to just a .088 average in winning the second game. Middle blockers Meghan Macdonald and Vicki Brown backed up McCulley offensively, with 11 and nine kills, respectively. Macdonald, the sixth-leading blocker in the Big Ten, posted eight vs. Northwestern, while Illinois totaled ten as a team.

[bomber]

maninyellowhat said:

fightingillini.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/recaps/110106aaa.html

Northwestern outlasts Illinois, 3-1

Kylie McCulley posts 20 kills in defeat

Nov. 1, 2006

CHAMPAIGN, Illinois head coach Don Hardin said once again that the getting close, but not quite getting over the top is taking its toll on his club.

"To get close in games and not be able to come away with wins is discouraging for everybody," Hardin said. "I saw a lot of fight early on and midway through the match, but we are facing an internal battle right now to try to get our fight back for the entire match."

That rang true again Wednesday night in a 30-25, 25-30, 30-26, 30-27 defeat to Northwestern (12-10, 6-7) at Huff Hall. In game three, for example, Illinois used the big block and the arm of freshman outside hitter Kylie McCulley to come back from a 15-8 deficit to tie it at 18-18, only to fall behind again. Then in game four, the Illini rallied from an 8-4 deficit to tie it at 12-12 before the Wildcats took control with an 8-2 run.

McCulley was a bright spot on the day as was fellow freshman Ashley Edinger, who tallied 18 digs. McCulley has been working the back row in practice with the absence of Kristine Anderson, who is out for the year with an ACL injury, and Amy Palash, who is also nursing an injury that has kept her out of practice. Wednesday, McCulley was put back to pass for the first time this season and responded with 20 kills, two digs and a service ace.

"If you didn't have a roster in your hand and you were seeing us for the first time, you wouldn't know who the freshmen are," Hardin said. "Inexperience is not an issue for us. We aren't winning as a team. The good news is we have plenty of season left to get our fight back in us."

For a time, it looked as if that fight was coming back. In game two, Illinois charged in front 5-0 off the service of Lizzie Bazzetta, who tossed in an ace in the rally. Although Northwestern battled back, the Wildcats never did take the lead in the game. With the game tied at 20, Edinger served up a pair of aces to put the Illini in front for good. Junior Stefanie Alde (6 kills) had a pair of kills down the stretch against her former team before Beth Vrdsky finished off the game with a service ace. The Illini had ten aces on the night.

The other three games were carbon copies of one another with Illinois showing glimpses of strong play, but not consistent enough to get the job done. "We need better consistency at all positions," Hardin said. "We need everyone at practice healthy to get a hold of that consistency."

Lindsay Anderson (21 kills) and Courtnie Paulus (13 kills) paced the Northwestern attack, which hit .262 for the match, including .444 in the first game.

Illinois hit .325 in game three and held the Wildcats to just a .088 average in winning the second game. Middle blockers Meghan Macdonald and Vicki Brown backed up McCulley offensively, with 11 and nine kills, respectively. Macdonald, the sixth-leading blocker in the Big Ten, posted eight vs. Northwestern, while Illinois totaled ten as a team.

Very surprising loss for the Illini in Huff Hall. Illinois is done this year. Time for the ol' sticking of the fork....

[AntennaMagnet]

Chief Illiniwek appeared at half time. I thought the NCAA banned this abomination of cultural sensitivity.

[jgrout]

As an Illinois alumnus who remembers Northwestern going 0-20 in conference a number of times, a 3-1 loss is an ugly reminder of how different things have been since women's basketball became the official women's sport at Illinois... but I digress.

The NCAA has no power to ban the Chief at home games or matches. They do have the power to ban him from NCAA events... the Big Ten already banned him from road games/matches and conference tournaments. The most recent NCAA actions are a ban on Illinois hosting any NCAA tournament events and an attempt to set up a secondary boycott of Illinois athletics by institutions of equal political correctness.

Though I'm an Illinois alumnus, I don't love the Chief and would not be very unhappy if this was his last season (as has been rumored for months in the Chicago and Champaign-Urbana papers)... but the secondary boycott that the NCAA tried to set up is a slimy, sleazy form of blackmail. It stomps on the concept of institutional autonomy enshrined in its own bylaws. It ignores a Federal agency ruling years ago that the Chief did not violate anyone's civil rights. It encourages its member insitutions to ignore the NCAA's ruling that "Fighting Illini" was a reference to the alumni who fought in World War I (they're the ones honored by Memorial Stadium) and continue to boycott Illinois even if the Chief is gone.

[illinifan]

The Best News...... Help is on the way with the 2007 Class! While it will take sometime for this Class to make an impact, they are a very solid group. We are having fun watching them compete in the finals of IL High School playoffs. Anyone hear any news on possible IL Class of 2008 recruits???

[bucky415]

Things obviously haven't been going well for the Illini recently. I am guessing that Turner has been banged up, since she hasn't played full time. I think she and Brown are really their only established big time threats, so that doesn't help anything. I am surprised they haven't done better in their home matches against the Michigans and Northwestern. Huff Hall can be a very tough place to play, but a lot of teams have won there pretty easily this season. It is sad that only 627 people were there last night. I know it was a midweek match, but what better is there to do on a wednesday night in Champaign? It looks like the Illini will miss the tournament again, barring some big upsets. They used to be better than this; I think it is fair to say the program is in a bit of a slide. That class next year will help, but you have to expect some growing pains in a league that will probably be pretty strong next year. Also, why don't they just get rid of the Chief already? If people find it insulting, then don't have it. I do wonder why the Washington Redskins haven't changed their name, though. That is much worse than anything in college, in my opinion.

[jgrout]

Too many Illinois alums either support the Chief or are so offended by those attacking the Chief that they refuse to cooperate with them. The denunciations of Illinois' former Chancellor, Nancy Kantor, and the counter-recruiting by a coven of Illinois professors (sending Fighting Illini recruits letters asking them to stay away) sicken me even more than the NCAA's actions. I could have predicted Kantor's behavior... she was openly rude at a Bay Area meet and greet just after she took office... the polar opposite of Michael Aiken, her predecessor, with whom I had the good fortune to work for several years.

[AntennaMagnet]

Is it my imagination or reality that the Illini have had a serious run of bad luck on injuries. Seems like every year they lose at least 2 players for an assortment of reasons. I think one of the reports in the papers said that Turner had a "nerve condition" limiting time on the court. Sounds ominous.

[Pasquale]

2007 can't come soon enough to Huff Hall! Next year's heralded freshman class may not make an immediate impact, but they will at least provide some much needed depth to the roster. They particularly need help at the L2 and Opposite positions.

Not sure why they're experiencing so many injuries. They were playing well earlier in the season, but am not sure how much injuries are contributing to their current woes. Turner, Alde, and Palash all have leg injuries. Turner's injury hurts (figuratively speaking) the most. McCulley has shown signs of being very good while filling in for Turner. The good news is that most players return (except Vrdsky and MacDonald) and they will add five promising players.

I look for McCulley or Debruler to challenge Palash for a starting spot next year on the left side (assuming Turner is healthy and will be the other starter). They have three middles (though I suspect Bangert will be moved over to the right side) coming in who will challenge Henderson for MacDonald's spot. Brown will be back for her senior year. Setting and ball control will be very good with Bazetta/Haen and Edinger/Anderson in the backrow.

Illinois should have two scholarships for 2008. Colleen Ward and Kelly Murphy would compliment the 2007 class , though I have no idea if they're even considering Illinois. I think they would look great in Orange and Blue.

[Deleted]

No one looks good -- let alone great -- in orange and blue. This is no knock on Illinois. Just the colors.

[jgrout]

ruffda said:

No one looks good -- let alone great -- in orange and blue. This is no knock on Illinois. Just the colors.

Well, Florida doesn't...