The win-loss column for the Illinois volleyball team was not indicative of the talent it showcased throughout the season.

Finishing the regular season at 16-14 and sneaking into the NCAA tournament seemed like the plan all along for head coach Kevin Hambly and his relatively inexperienced Illini roster. With only two seniors in libero Jennifer Beltran and defensive specialist Courtney Abrahamovich leading the way on the hardwood, Illinois experienced a few bumps along the road in what can be considered a successful season resulting in a 18-15 record and a trip to the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16.

“I’m not satisfied with this season,” Hambly said after the team’s loss to Purdue in the NCAA tournament. “But I’m also not super disappointed about where we’re at.”

The Illini never were able to get in a groove throughout the regular season. Illinois lost eight of 11 games in the early stages of nonconference play to dig itself into a deep hole. Inconsistency plagued the Illini, as the team frequently split weekend matches, remaining two games under .500 until November, the final month of regular-season play. The Illini, despite not being able to string together more than two consecutive wins all season, managed to win six matches in a row against the likes of Iowa, then-No. 17 Michigan, then-No. 13 Michigan State, Indiana, then-No. 18 Purdue and Ohio State. This put the team above .500 and made the Illini eligible for the NCAA tournament.

Hambly blamed his team’s lack of effort and fight at times during the season, but much of the team’s struggles could be placed on the fact that Hambly selected some of the best competition the nation had to offer to face his squad. According to the NCAA’s strength of schedule ratings, Illinois played the nation’s toughest schedule. Nineteen of the 21 opponents the Illini faced were ranked in the top 25, with four teams ranked in the top 10. Illinois finished a respectable 9-10 in these matchups, with its highest win coming against then-No. 11 Iowa State.

“We took on a tough schedule, and I don’t know who’s played a tougher schedule in several years, and they stood up to it,” Hambly said. “They fought, and I’m really proud of what they were able to accomplish.”

The strength of the Illini’s competition paid off in the end, though. The Illini won seven of its final nine regular-season contests and whizzed by their first two opponents of the NCAA tournament, beating Morehead State and Marquette by a combined score of 6-1. From there, Illinois advanced to face an opponent it was very familiar with: Purdue. The two team’s split the regular-season series, but Purdue’s experience pushed it past Illinois in the NCAA Regional semifinals. The Boilermakers won 3-0 in front of a large crowd at State Farm Center.

“(The loss) was probably a byproduct of a lot of (the Illini) never having been in this situation before, and you could tell that Purdue did,” Hambly said. “They were ready for a Sweet 16 match, and it didn’t seem like we were. I’ve been through this before and it’s nice to get (that) for this group.”

The Illini look to continue their success with virtually the same team as last season. Returning for Illinois will be key outside hitters in junior Jocelynn Birks, who was a unanimous all-Big Ten selection last season, and senior Liz McMahon, an all-Big Ten honorable mention.

Blake can be reached at [email protected].