Energy, teamwork lead Illinois to sweep
By Brian Binz, Staff Writer
September 17, 2018
Filed under Sports, Sports Top Stories, Volleyball, Women's Sports
Illinois volleyball has been perfect this season. The team has continued to move up in the rankings, earning the No. 8 spot in the country before it even set foot on its home court. While senior middle blocker Ali Bastianelli said she sees room for improvement, the Illini still managed to open their hom...
Illini come home to Huff Hall
By Brian Binz, Staff Writer
September 13, 2018
Filed under Sports, Volleyball, Women's Sports
For the first time in the 2018 season, the Illinois volleyball team will have a game at Huff Hall. While it may be a familiar haven for both students and athletes, for opponents, Huff’s looks may be misleading. “A lot of people are confused coming into Huff,” said Senior Setter Jordyn Poulter...
Cooney, O’Brien, Kuper lead way to tournament sweep
By Brian Binz, Staff Writer
September 10, 2018
Filed under Sports, Top Stories, Volleyball
The Illini swept up another tournament title at the CSU Invitational in Cleveland Sept. 7 and 8. Illinois blanked Bowling Green, Cleveland State and UC Irvine 3-0 in consecutive matches, lifting their record to 8-0, with especially strong moments sprinkled throughout the tournament weekend. “We’ve ...
Business as usual for Illini
By Rachel Spencer, Staff writer
September 10, 2018
Filed under Sports, Volleyball, Women's Sports
It’s been over a week since the Illinois volleyball team lost a set. It’s been over half a year since it’s lost a game. The Illini have started their season with eight wins (only losing five total sets), an NCAA ranking and several conference honorees. Senior Jordyn Poulter grabbed the team...
Illinois sweeps Big Ten/Pac-12 challenge
By Brian Binz, Staff Writer
September 6, 2018
Filed under Sports, Volleyball, Women's Sports
The Illinois volleyball team boosted its winning streak to five with a pair of wins in the Big Ten/Pac-12 challenge in Seattle. After blanking No. 21 Colorado in the first round of the tournament, Illinois took No. 13 Washington to five sets (25-18, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22). Illinois got strong play ...
Tamas unifies team through social media pushes
By Brian Binz, Sports Reporter
August 30, 2018
Filed under Sports, Top Stories, Volleyball, Women's Sports
When Illinois volleyball head coach Chris Tamas was hired from Nebraska on Feb. 10, 2017, it didn’t make headlines on the usual sports news channels. But the signing did resonate early with an audience that has become so much bigger in the last handful of years: social media. “When he made the ...
Volleyball adds talents and refines skills heading into new season
By Meghan Rest, Assistant Sports Editor
August 27, 2018
Filed under Sports, Uncategorized, Volleyball
Head coach Chris Tamas and the Illinois volleyball team began their 2018 season with a sweep at the Colorado State Tournament. The Illini posted a 3-0 performance against North Carolina Wilmington, a 3-2 victory over No. 25 Colorado State and a dramatic 3-2 win over Northern Colorado to close out the tour...
Morgan O’Brien makes US national team
By Meghan Rest, Assistant Sports Editor
April 16, 2018
Filed under Sports, Top Stories, Volleyball, Women's Sports
nIf you asked freshman Morgan O’Brien about her volleyball career five years ago, the answer would have been vague. The defensive specialist has been a cornerstone defensive presence for Illinois after just one season with the team. But O’Brien’s biggest athletic success came unexpectedly t...
Spring volleyball update
By Meghan Rest, Assistant Sports Editor
April 16, 2018
Filed under Softball, Sports, Volleyball, Women's Sports
Spring volleyball isn’t anything new for the Illini, but some of the teams they play are. Illinois has faced Kentucky several times in previous fall seasons; however, local teams like Bradley and Illinois State represent uncharted territory for Illinois. So far during the spring season, Illinois has twice o...
Illinois volleyball gears up for spring season
March 29, 2018
Filed under Sports, Volleyball, Women's Sports
The 2017 season was a good one for Illinois volleyball. For the Illini, “good” meant finishing sixth overall in the Big Ten – behind five teams that were ranked well into the top-20 nationally, including the eventual NCAA Champion. It meant breaking through to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA to...
The only sport that matters
By Cole Henke, Sports editor
December 7, 2017
Filed under Sports, Volleyball, Women's Sports
The first sporting event I ever went to as a student at the University was a volleyball game. The Illini took on a ranked North Carolina team. It was the first college volleyball game I had ever seen, and the place was packed. To this day, it is still one of my favorite memories I have as a fan. Huff H...
Illinois Volleyball ready for Sweet 16 revenge against Spartans
By Meghan Rest, Staff writer
December 7, 2017
Filed under Sports, Top Stories, Volleyball, Women's Sports
The Illinois volleyball team isn’t just looking to advance through the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament, it’s also looking for redemption. After nailing down a five-set win against Hawaii in the tournament opener, Illinois went on to upset No. 8 seed Washington on its home court in another fi...
