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Post by pointillinois on Sept 5, 2024 15:05:19 GMT -5
Cons: New Huff set-up: they moved the students to the bleachers where the pep band sat, the ADA seating is where the students were and the heads of the spike squad are where the ADA seating used to be. The students are too far off the court and the length of the court separates the key spike squad members from the other students. They seem content to replace the student caused havoc with an obnoxiously loud PA sound effect system. I think you'll be glad (as I was) to hear that for the remainder of the regular season they will be adding actual bleachers for the students where the old ADA seating was at the north end of the court. Here's that excerpt from the recent article on the main Illini Vball website, Illini Volleyball Announces Match Day Updates:
The student section will reside on the north side of Huff Hall, with bleachers available for Big Ten play.
I've gotta imagine the pep band will also be back once conference play starts, one of my favorite Huff Hall crowd elements : )
EDIT: I'm less thrilled about this other change but will set my own feelings aside if it ends up bringing more people to home games:
Alcohol will now be served at Huff Hall. Fans can purchase domestic beers, local craft beers and canned cocktails during the match with the limit of two beverages per ID.
Thanks for the update. I'm still having trouble picture how that would look, but it makes more sense than the big empty space they had during the match. I, too, love the Pep Band.
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Post by exit237a on Sept 5, 2024 15:17:12 GMT -5
I think you'll be glad (as I was) to hear that for the remainder of the regular season they will be adding actual bleachers for the students where the old ADA seating was at the north end of the court. Here's that excerpt from the recent article on the main Illini Vball website, Illini Volleyball Announces Match Day Updates:
The student section will reside on the north side of Huff Hall, with bleachers available for Big Ten play.
I've gotta imagine the pep band will also be back once conference play starts, one of my favorite Huff Hall crowd elements : )
EDIT: I'm less thrilled about this other change but will set my own feelings aside if it ends up bringing more people to home games:
Alcohol will now be served at Huff Hall. Fans can purchase domestic beers, local craft beers and canned cocktails during the match with the limit of two beverages per ID.
Thanks for the update. I'm still having trouble picture how that would look, but it makes more sense than the big empty space they had during the match. I, too, love the Pep Band.
Yeah, I'm eager to see where exactly they position the north bleachers. With the concession stand in the northeast corner, I'd think they'd need for people to be able to walk behind the bleachers. I'm hoping they'll plant the bleachers super close to the end line of the court. Here's the seating diagram which I think shows the size, if maybe not the exact positioning. I think it'll be a better setup than it was Tuesday, this time with the students better consolidated at that north end and none of that obstructed view back rows of floor seating effect.
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Sept 6, 2024 5:52:03 GMT -5
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Post by gurnee50 on Sept 6, 2024 12:12:26 GMT -5
Illini Volleyball just tweeted out that Averie's uncle is Brad Dancer, the head coach of the Illini men's tennis team. WOW...so not only was Averie guaranteed a starting spot in the lineup according to Badger insiders, but she was able to get her uncle the job as head coach of Illini men's tennis! Way to go! These Badger fans are a sharp group of folks!
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Post by exit237a on Sept 6, 2024 15:34:17 GMT -5
I saw this post exchange on a different thread and just thought I'd share it here and express how grateful I am to have so many fellow fans of the orange and blue to engage with on VT. Always cool to get to share in the excitement about our team with you all. And the present and future sure looks bright with our new Illini making big impacts now and showing great promise going forward. I understand they’re fans of every team but most the BIG posters are fans of teams that will not miss tourney. They never do. Illinois has a huge presence on VT.
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Post by bops68 on Sept 6, 2024 17:00:42 GMT -5
I noticed at the ISU match Bohm had a decent sized knee brace on. Anyone have the scoop? Seems to be impacting her mobility a little.
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Post by volleyaudience on Sept 6, 2024 17:11:39 GMT -5
Love these: Smith
Philpot
I like how the video caputures the whole play, close up.
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Post by vball778 on Sept 6, 2024 21:04:05 GMT -5
2 things:
1. Barnes seems like a lovely teammate and definitely should be on the floor. But I’m here to just add emphasis that CMM needs to be in the lib jersey. We’re 4 matches in and I struggle to believe that what we don’t see in practice is much better than what we see in matches.
2. Tamas needs to hang onto Smith and Philpot with every fiber of his being. They are what could keep us relevant for top half of the B1G moving forward. Top quality recruits.
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Post by Chewblocka on Sept 6, 2024 23:06:18 GMT -5
So glad we have our team take another win and great to see our girl Barry out there as well. I hope tomorrow goes well at our game with IS, from what I am reading we might be in tough with a team that maybe be our first big challenge. Does anyone have any predictions? Is there a thread for this game like before?
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Post by Chewblocka on Sept 6, 2024 23:07:13 GMT -5
and I almost forgot good job Taylor on getting a few good shots in for us!!!!
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Post by exit237a on Sept 6, 2024 23:15:25 GMT -5
So glad we have our team take another win and great to see our girl Barry out there as well. I hope tomorrow goes well at our game with IS, from what I am reading we might be in tough with a team that maybe be our first big challenge. Does anyone have any predictions? Is there a thread for this game like before? Hey Chewblocka! We’ll actually just continue to use that same thread for all of matches in this weekend’s tournament. volleytalk.proboards.com/thread/100272/wake-forest-toledo-illinois-iowaThe first post in it has all the stream and stat links and we’ll just continue the conversation there tomorrow. And yes, great to see Lily and Taylor get some game reps!
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Post by oldmanvb on Sept 7, 2024 8:54:45 GMT -5
In each of their matches the Illini have come out strong the first set and were less dominant after the first set. Is this because they were trying different things? I don’t think it demonstrates a lack of a killer instinct as they closed out each match strong. Any ideas on why this has been the case?
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Post by Chewblocka on Sept 7, 2024 9:20:34 GMT -5
In each of their matches the Illini have come out strong the first set and were less dominant after the first set. Is this because they were trying different things? I don’t think it demonstrates a lack of a killer instinct as they closed out each match strong. Any ideas on why this has been the case? I am no expert on this but I think that the other coach adjusts based on what they are seeing from us. I think we keep just doing much of the same however it has worked so far with the level of teams we are playing. I think our coaches know we should win so we stay the course. What happens when we are outmatched? Last year we had that little problem of not being able to close out matches early in the season even if we came out strong. Toledo anticipated our middle play yesterday and had our number on that but with Raina doing well it didn’t really matter. Interested to hear what others think and predictions for today? What do we need to do to take the win
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Post by NYCHusker on Sept 7, 2024 9:24:58 GMT -5
Cons: New Huff set-up: they moved the students to the bleachers where the pep band sat, the ADA seating is where the students were and the heads of the spike squad are where the ADA seating used to be. The students are too far off the court and the length of the court separates the key spike squad members from the other students. They seem content to replace the student caused havoc with an obnoxiously loud PA sound effect system. I think you'll be glad (as I was) to hear that for the remainder of the regular season they will be adding actual bleachers for the students where the old ADA seating was at the north end of the court. Here's that excerpt from the recent article on the main Illini Vball website, Illini Volleyball Announces Match Day Updates:
The student section will reside on the north side of Huff Hall, with bleachers available for Big Ten play.
I've gotta imagine the pep band will also be back once conference play starts, one of my favorite Huff Hall crowd elements : )
EDIT: I'm less thrilled about this other change but will set my own feelings aside if it ends up bringing more people to home games:
Alcohol will now be served at Huff Hall. Fans can purchase domestic beers, local craft beers and canned cocktails during the match with the limit of two beverages per ID.
I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little jealous of the beer sales. While Nebraska fans pack the places and know the game, they don't necessarily create the crazy atmosphere that you see at a Huff, Holloway, or Field House. Turning on the taps at Devaney might help.
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Post by Chewblocka on Sept 7, 2024 10:12:03 GMT -5
Illini Volleyball just tweeted out that Averie's uncle is Brad Dancer, the head coach of the Illini men's tennis team. WOW...so not only was Averie guaranteed a starting spot in the lineup according to Badger insiders, but she was able to get her uncle the job as head coach of Illini men's tennis! Way to go! These Badger fans are a sharp group of folks! Based on your posts, it seems like you have a strong issue with Badger fans. If Avery was guaranteed a starting spot (is this even true?), it would be disappointing as a fan. Having a family member as a coach doesn’t matter to me, but if that’s the case, it could lead to claims of favouritism which negates your post all together. I trust Coach Tamas will play the best players because his career depends on it, not ours. If he made special promises to a portal player, it could ruin team dynamics and demotivate current players. I’m learning more about the transfer portal, and it concerns me how it can impact team loyalty and cohesion. When players feel their spots aren’t secure, it damages morale, causing them to disengage or transfer, which disrupts the team more. One transfer can easily lead to another, creating a cycle of instability and ultimately damage the program if you are not careful. It seems like such a fine line to walk and I recall Coach Tamas saying in the past he he was not a fan of the portal but with all the pressure here to “win” at all costs on VT what’s a coach to do? Risk the future for the present? Some teams use the portal to win now, but that can hurt a program long-term. I don’t think those teams will stay successful if they replace loyal players with quick-win transfers, and really is there such a thing as a quick win when developing a team? Or super teams could be created where stability and commitment are not part of any program. What’s stopping Laynie, Taylor, Lilly or Ashlyn from leaving if they have strong seasons and get options to play at top 25 teams (I think we are ranked 101 so while I love Illinois with all my heart that doesn’t put us in the best leverage position in my opinion) Do our players trust the coaches are loyal to them? I want to reiterate this has NOTHING to do with Avery and I want to see her successful in illinois but it spurred the conversation in my scattered brain. Lol I’d love to hear others' thoughts on this (not the Avery drama but the portal I mean). I enjoy watching the Badgers, and if they’re that focused on Illinois, maybe they see us as a real threat, which is a great problem to have. Remember the boy that teases you often has a crush on you :)
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