As the women’s soccer NCAA Tournament bracket was announced Monday evening, it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop in Illinois head coach Janet Rayfield’s home, where her bubble team was gathered to watch the selection show. But as the final eight berths were being unveiled, the Illini finally saw their name and erupted in joy.

“Words cannot describe how happy I am, as well as everybody else on our team,” senior forward Jessica Levitt said. “It wasn’t even a second after our name was shown that everyone started screaming and crying. We’re so relieved and so excited we get a shot at what we’ve been trying to do all year.”

After a tumultuous season that left their tournament hopes hanging in the balance, the Illini are thrilled to have a chance to prove themselves in the NCAA Tournament on Friday against the Memphis Tigers (15-4-2) in the Columbia, Mo., regional.

Illinois received the equivalent of a No. 12 seed and will open against a team on a roll. The Tigers tied for the Conference USA regular season title, won their conference tournament and are on a 10-match unbeaten streak. Memphis, however, is a young squad that lacks the experience of a team like the Illini, who will make their sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

Illinois also played a tougher schedule, as nine of its regular season opponents also made the tournament. The team hopes their experience of playing in tough, close games all season long will pay off.

“Our experience through a really competitive Big Ten season: That’s what we have to rely on to carry us through the NCAA Tournament,” Rayfield said, before warning of the flip side. “Memphis is going to draw confidence on their success against maybe a lesser schedule, we have to draw confidence on our experience of playing that tough schedule.”

Freshman Lizzy Simonin leads the dangerous Tiger attack with nine goals this season, but the team is well balanced, as eight players have scored at least three goals. However, come tournament time, statistics, scheduling and experience can often be thrown out the window once teams take the field.

When that happens, the Illini will rely on their defense that has carried them all year. Rayfield feels like her “defense can keep (them) in any game,” and Levitt agreed.

“As long as we get one (goal), we’re confident that we can win the game because our defense will hold things up for us,” Levitt said.

Despite being a bubble team, the Illini received a great draw for a couple of reasons. They will play on the same field where they beat Missouri in the season opener. For a team that struggled on the road this year, that could be a psychological booster. If the Illini advance Friday, they would likely play fourth-seeded Missouri on Sunday for a trip to the Sweet 16.

“It doesn’t matter who we play, we are just excited to be in the tournament,” said senior defender Emily Zurrer. “It’s do or die, everything we learned has to be brought to these games.”