Lizzie Bazzetta is a freshman setter and outside hitter for the Illinois volleyball team. The sister of former Illini star Kathleen Bazzetta, Lizzie is currently second on the team with 188 assists, including a career-high 66 in Illinois’ win at Michigan State last Saturday.

Q: Why did you come to the University of Illinois?

A: I chose Illinois because it’s the whole package. It’s a great school, academically, and we’re also in the Big Ten so it’s a competitive conference with competitive volleyball, and the atmosphere here is great.

Q: Did it help that your sister came here?

A: Yeah, it did. But that’s not the only reason I came here. I knew the program, so that definitely helped.

Q: What other schools did you look at?

A: I looked at a lot of schools out East, like Duke and Wake Forest, and I also went out to Denver and Loyola.

Q: What’s the best part of playing at Illinois?

A: I would say the competition in the Big Ten. Every night there’s a big match, so that’s great.

Q: Do you have any pre-match rituals?

A: We sing. When we’re still in the locker room we sing and dance around. We’re getting pretty good.

Q: Who has the best nickname on the team?

A: K-Boogie for Kayani (Turner) and Mac-Daddy for Meghan (Macdonald) are pretty good ones.

Q: Who is the most interesting person on the team, and why?

A: Vicki (Brown) is pretty random, but also Rasa (Virsilaite). She keeps the mood light, and she’ll say some things and you’ll have no idea what she said to you – so you just go along with it.

Q: What is your major, and how did you pick it?

A: I’m in biology and pre-med, and I picked that because I’ve had a few knee surgeries and they kind of sparked my interest into the medical field.

Q: Do you have a favorite musician?

A: Right now my favorite is Gavin DeGraw.

Q: What is your favorite movie or TV show?

A: I’m starting to get hooked on “Grey’s Anatomy.” My favorite movie, either “Dodgeball” or “Anchorman” because we quote them all the time.