For most NCAA volleyball teams, the 6-2 is the offense of choice. Unfortunately for a 2007 Illinois squad depleted by injury, their choices were limited.

But following a weekend in which the 6-2 was executed effectively and the Illini went 3-0 while playing a pair of ranked opponents, there is reason to believe the formation may pay off for the 2008 Illini.

“I think it’s working for us,” senior setter Lizzie Bazzetta said.

In an effective 6-2, the setters are the key. They are the leaders on the court and must work effectively together to manage the rhythm of the game, no matter which setter is on the floor.

Anchoring the vital position for the Fighting Illini is the accomplished duo of Bazzetta and sophomore Hillary Haen.

After three seasons at Illinois in which the team underachieved, Bazzetta hopes to play an important role in helping the team reach its full potential in 2008.

“For myself, it would definitely be having no regrets. This is my last go-round,” Bazzetta said. “This may be my last few months really playing competitively.”

When Bazzetta arrived at Illinois, she was already accustomed to success.

While at Naperville North High School, Bazzetta was unanimously named to the first team All-DuPage Valley Conference as a setter and helped lead the Huskies to the DVC title in 2004. The team proceeded to win both the Regional and Sectional Title in her senior year.

But Bazzetta doesn’t spend much time reminiscing about high school.

“It’s definitely a different game, high school volleyball,” Bazzetta said. “Club volleyball definitely had the biggest impact on getting me here. That’s where all the recruiting takes place, and that’s where I trained to be a setter and everything like that. So it definitely set me in this direction.”

The Bazzetta name is not unfamiliar to long-time Illinois volleyball fans. Bazzetta’s older sister, Kathleen, played four years as defensive specialist, now known as the libero, for the Illini from 2001-04.

Having an older sister who played for the Fighting Illini is one reason Bazzetta is at the University today.

“Whenever you are in the recruiting process, you really don’t know, until you’re there, what the whole experience is going to be like,” Bazzetta said. “And so with my sister being here for the four years before me, I really had a good idea of what I was getting into here, and she really loved her experience, so I wanted the same thing.”

Haen is Bazzetta’s counterpart at setter and came to Illinois last year with a history of success, as well.

The Crystal Lake, Ill., native contributed to a 142-22 record over her four years at Prairie Ridge High School. The Wolves won four regional titles to go along with four Fox Valley Conference titles during Haen’s career.

Following her junior and senior years, Haen was named a first team All-State selection by both the Chicago Tribune and the Champaign News-Gazette. During that span, she led the Wolves to back-to-back state runner-up finishes in 2004 and 2005.

“I try to keep the mindset that college is a completely new game and that high school was great, I accomplished a lot, but it doesn’t really mean anything now that I’m here,” Haen said.

Out of high school, she was regarded as a top three setter – No. 23 overall player – and prepvolleyball.com named her an All-American.

Haen admits the pressure of being a lauded recruit got to her last season.

“I think it did. A lot actually, (because of) being worried about playing the best that I can because the team put a lot of trust in you. But this year, if anyone is struggling, there’s a lot of support. People are just like, ‘I know you can do it, don’t worry about it.'”

As the veteran of the pair, Bazzetta is well aware of the talent and leadership Haen brings to the court.

“Obviously she’s a great setter,” Bazzetta said. “I can definitely see her stepping into a leadership role for sure. That’s what you have to be as a setter running the court. She definitely has a great impact on running the court, getting the best out of her hitters.”

Running the offense is something that requires the pair to be in sync with each other at all times to keep the game at a consistent tempo. But having two setters in the rotation increases offensive and defensive possibilities because there can always be three attackers in the front row.

“It helps our coverage on defense because we bring the setter up a little bit more, and the block that we have up there is really one of the main reasons we’re playing such a better defense,” head coach Don Hardin said following last weekend’s State Farm Illini Classic. “We’re channeling a lot of balls, we’re getting a good view, and the hitters are getting shots.”

But this rotation requires that the setters rotate in and out throughout the game, while maintaining consistency in their play. Haen and Bazzetta have spent countless hours working to make their sets as similar as possible for the hitters.

The effort is not going unnoticed by the pair’s teammates.

“They are doing awesome. I honestly can’t tell who is setting. Both balls are just getting out there and are really nice and crisp,” sophomore outside hitter Laura DeBruler said. “They are doing a really good job also of just being the leaders on the court. Even when they sub in and out, I really don’t feel a difference. It’s just all really smooth and cohesive.”

While rotating in and out of a set can be a challenge, they agree that the chance to come out of the game and observe allows them to improve themselves during the course of the match. It is an opportunity to carry over a technique that worked for the other setter or offer advice based on what they saw.

The Haen-Bazzetta partnership is vital to the success of Fighting Illini squad. But the pair credits their teammates with keeping the pressure to a minimum.

“I think everyone, as a group, we want to have a successful year. But I wouldn’t say there’s pressure,” Bazzetta said. “Because we had kind of a disappointing previous three years that I’ve been here, we are just pushing for this year to be better than those and hopefully surprise some people and keep working hard. I think it is setting up for a great future.”