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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Oct 13, 2013 8:12:47 GMT -5
While I Hambly will Beltran, he probably was not overjoyed with her serve receive last night. When your libero's number is called by the opposing team for serve targeting, there is some cause for concern. It is not routine for teams to target liberos on serves, but it certainly does occur. I see where Jennifer Beltran had 3 receiving errors, and I don't know how on-the-money her other passes were. And, I will admit when I heard 4 or 5 years ago, that the libero off of one of the U.S. junior national teams had committed to Illinois, I was looking forward to perfect serve-receptions and to never a missed dig. Of course this was unrealistic. To JB's credit she has played (and played well) in an NCAA national championship volleyball match. How many other college liberos can say that? If Jennifer has not met everyone's expectations as a libero, she has exceeded expectations as a teammate and person. Illini volleyball fans know what challenges JB has had to face in her personal life (some of which converged during her time at the UofI). Even if JB should happen to not continue her volleyball career post Illinois, I am pretty confident she will succeed in whatever else she chooses to pursue.
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Post by brucks on Oct 14, 2013 22:11:55 GMT -5
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Post by vbwheatley on Oct 14, 2013 22:25:34 GMT -5
That would be Jacqueline Quade, a 6'2" OH from Fort Wayne, IN
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Post by WI FIB on Oct 14, 2013 23:04:28 GMT -5
Illinois needs a new setter. She didn't get called on a single double including the one at 13-13. It was pathetic watching so many of the balls leave her hands with obvious multiple release points and tons of spin. Happened at least 10 times during the match. Doubles aren't called on release points, they're called on contact points. Big difference.
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Post by WI FIB on Oct 14, 2013 23:16:59 GMT -5
The worst was when we blocked their OH and the ball clearly hit the ground, but the refs didn't blow the whistle and Purdue ended up getting the point. The officiating was so bad in that set that Hambly got himself a yellow card. Sorry, but that ball was pancaked successfully. Looked good at full speed, and on super slo-mo, great pancake dig. Just because the line judge prematurely signaled ball down doesn't mean he was right. However, that touch call late in the set...not so sure about that one.
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Post by brucks on Oct 15, 2013 13:48:04 GMT -5
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Post by Sbilo on Oct 15, 2013 16:54:34 GMT -5
Can Illinois have Jordyn Poulter earlier? 2015 seems like a looong time of waiting.
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Oct 19, 2013 6:38:23 GMT -5
The Illini vs. Penn State played their best match of the season last nite. Unfortunate that their best match still ended up in a loss. The Illinois coaches had a great game plan against the Lions, and the Illini did a pretty good job of executing that plan. Errors in crucial situations cost us the match.
Illinois' defense was the best I have seen all season. The insertion of freshman ds Danielle Davis into the rotation has been huge. She seems to make everyone around her play better.
Morganne Criswell continued her awesome offense, and freshman MB Katie Stadick looks to have an excellent future for the Orange and Blue.
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Post by brucks on Oct 19, 2013 13:35:09 GMT -5
Gotta agree with notpriddy re. Davis. She's a gamer. Criswell has always hit the ball well but now she is getting a chance to show it. Overall, I thought the team looked better last night. Can't see them winning enough to make the tourney, though.
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Post by jma22 on Oct 19, 2013 14:50:44 GMT -5
Gotta agree with notpriddy re. Davis. She's a gamer. Criswell has always hit the ball well but now she is getting a chance to show it. Overall, I thought the team looked better last night. Can't see them winning enough to make the tourney, though. It's still very doable. We have to win tomorrow against OSU though (which I think we will), and we can't afford to lose to Northwestern.
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Post by umyeahaboutthat on Dec 8, 2013 18:25:58 GMT -5
If I'm adding things correctly, the Illini have already played 10 of the 16 teams who made it past the second round (everyone but American, Kansas, BYU, USC and Stanford). Of those 10, they have played four of them twice. I think Long Beach State, Iowa and Indiana were the only ones on the schedule who didn't make the tournament. Crazy like a fox. Go B1G or go home.
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Post by JT on Dec 8, 2013 18:37:39 GMT -5
Illinois played Northwestern and Ohio State, too. Four teams failed to make the tournament from the BigTen, and IL played all of them.
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Post by umyeahaboutthat on Dec 8, 2013 19:01:06 GMT -5
Oh yeah. Thanks.
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Dec 12, 2013 13:02:20 GMT -5
Volleyball article in the local Champaign newspaper by Loren Tate. It is humbling for the volleyball team when veteran sportswriter Loren Tate writes a column concerning volleyball. I have seen Tate at some vb matches at Huff, but his old radio mate, Jim Turpin, is a vb season ticket holder. I would not be surprised if Turpin hasn't encouraged Tate to give the sport a chance. Apparently, according to what Tate writes in this article, he has seen the light: www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/volleyball/2013-12-11/loren-tate-ui-volleyball-entertaining.html
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Post by topperbell on Dec 15, 2013 1:54:56 GMT -5
What the hell happened to Illinois? I thought the 3 freshman that came in this year would be the X factors that get Illinois to a deep run in the tournament.
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