Volleyball won its first tournament over the weekend, bringing home first place in the Northern Illinois Invitational in DeKalb.

The Illini (5-0) won all four matches this weekend, defeating Austin Peay and Indiana State on Friday and Wisconsin-Green Bay and Northern Illinois on Saturday.

“We knew going into the weekend that we had a chance to win, and we know we have a good team,” said coach Don Hardin.

Illini senior outside hitter Rachel VanMeter picked up tournament MVP honors. VanMeter, who was named the Big Ten Player of the Week last Monday, led the Illini in kills in three of the four matches.

Junior libero Beth Vrdsky was also named to the all-tournament team for her exceptional defensive play.

“Rachel played great, but for Beth to make the all-tourney team as a defensive player is very impressive,” Hardin said.

In the opener against Austin Peay, the Illini grabbed an early lead and cruised to a 30-14 win in game one. The Illini played most of the game without VanMeter, who was benched after a ball hit her in the eye.

Austin Peay seemed to regain its confidence in game two, but the Illini held on for a 30-25 win. With VanMeter still on the bench in game three, Austin Peay took advantage and prolonged the match with a 34-32 win. But when VanMeter returned for game four, the Illini finished things off with a 30-28 victory.

Redshirt freshman Kayani Turner took over for VanMeter in the match, recording 16 kills.

Hardin was excited to see his freshmen succeed.

“All four of our freshmen played, and Kayani played especially well,” he said. “She looked used to being out on the court and looked good.”

In their second match, the Illini cruised over Indiana State 30-19, 30-26 and 30-9.

VanMeter and fellow senior Rasa Virsilaite led the Illini in that match. VanMeter recorded a team-high 25 kills while Virsilaite added seven kills and five service aces.

“Rasa started to catch rhythm in the match, and she looks like she’s starting to settle into midseason form,” Hardin said.

And, after struggling to finish off a pair of 2-0 leads in its first two matches of the year, Hardin was ecstatic to see his team bury the Sycamores in the third game.

“We really pushed them around in game three,” he said. “After the Austin Peay match I didn’t really expect it, but we really came out to play in that third game.”

In Saturday’s first match, the Illini held off a pesky Wisconsin-Green Bay team for a 30-27, 30-27 and 30-25 victory.

“They were the best team we’ve played all year I think,” he said. “They pushed us more than other teams.”

VanMeter led the Illini with 25 kills for the second match in a row. Sophomore Stephanie Obermeier also recorded 49 assists in the match.

In the tournament finale, the Illini used another solid game from VanMeter and Virsilaite to beat the Huskies 30-26, 30-24 and 30-26.

VanMeter again led the Illini with 23 kills while Virsilaite added 14 and junior Meghan Macdonald chipped in with 11. Obermeier again led the Illini with 48 assists.

“We seem to be progressing steadily,” Hardin said after the win. “The team’s confidence grows with every win.”

The Illini will play their home opener tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Huff Hall against Loyola. Last season, Loyola upset the Illini in five games in Chicago. Hardin expects his team to be ready to play.

“It’ll be fun to finally play at home,” he said. “Loyola always gears up for us, and it’s usually a good match.”