Volleyball squad wary of aggressive serving
Kristine Anderson hits the ball against Marquette at Huff Hall on Sept. 7. The Illini, now 2-2 in Big Ten play, will host the Indiana Hoosiers on Friday before facing the Purdue Boilermakers at Huff Hall on Monday. Erica Magda
October 5, 2007
After moving up to .500 in Big Ten play following a 2-0 weekend road trip, the Illinois volleyball team returns home to Huff Hall to face its border rival, the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Illini will look to protect their home court against a team they have historically had success against, with a 48-15 all-time series record.
Under head coach Don Hardin, Illinois is 17-5 against Indiana. However, the Illini know better than to take the Hoosiers lightly, as they are 11-5 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten this season.
One important matchup will pit the aggressive serving game of Indiana against the serve-receive of Illinois.
The Hoosiers are third in the Big Ten in service aces with 1.7 a game. It will be an area of concern for Hardin and Illinois.
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“It’s a great strategy to have. If your serve’s on, you can get a lot of teams in trouble that way,” Hardin said. “We are naturally concerned when any team serves aggressively, and it’s not a bad strategy to have.”
While the team has relied on the arm of freshman Laura DeBruler at times during the season, Illinois will need to be more balanced to take some of the pressure off her. The offense looks to connect more with the middle blockers, led by senior Vicki Brown, and execute off of passes from serve-receive.
Meanwhile, sophomore outside hitter Kylie McCulley is continuing to work back from a foot injury.
Due to limited practice time, McCulley will be out for the game against Indiana on Friday night, but she may see limited action against Purdue on Monday.
With the Hoosiers’ system and style of play similar to the Illini’s, setter Lizzie Bazzetta said the focus will remain on the team.
“We need to take care of the first and second contact and be able to move the ball around and keep them guessing offensively,” Bazzetta said. “The main thing is going to be our first ball serve receive and defense.”
Illinois will face off against Indiana on Friday at 7 p.m. at Huff Hall. The Illini will only have a two-day break before they play the Purdue Boilermakers on Monday at 7 p.m. at Huff Hall. The Purdue game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
