The Illinois volleyball team has found this year that confidence and competitiveness are not inherent in good athletic teams. Head coach Kevin Hambly said his team is talented, but those often overlooked characteristics of great teams had been lacking as the team finished off a 2-7 October.

On Saturday against Indiana, however, the team stayed poised, cushioned by a 2-0 set advantage, and pushed through in the fourth set to get a win fueled by competitive drive that Illinois hopes will boost its self-assurance.

Middle blocker Erin Johnson said it wavered when Illinois allowed Indiana to make a game of it, losing the third frame 25-22.

“I thought for the majority of the match (competitiveness) was there,” the senior said. “I think in the third set, we relaxed a little bit. And that just has to do with like, getting comfortable after winning the first two sets. We talked about that, and I thought we did a better job of that in the fourth set about staying on it.”

The Illini have appeared complacent at times this year after gaining early advantages. A 2-0 lead at home against Ohio State turned into a crushing five-set defeat and the second part of a four-game losing streak suffered earlier this season.

Hambly said this time, however, it wasn’t complacency but anxiety that tripped Illinois up.

“They got very anxious in that third set (against Indiana), when they had a chance to win it. Just like they did in the fourth against Purdue,” he said. “And I’m glad we had another one to kinda work it out because you could see them get a little bit loose in that fourth, and I’m just happy for them. … They’ve been really playing hard in matches, and I was pleased with how they competed and how they executed.”

Illinois has had two three-set victories, neither against conference opponents.

Illini hitters get back on track

Redshirt freshman Jocelynn Birks rebounded nicely from one of her most trying weekends as a hitter, recording 23 kills and just three errors against Indiana on 51 swings for a .392 hitting percentage. The performance was good enough to garner the Willow Springs, Ill., native Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, her second such award this season. During the team’s recent four-game losing streak, Birks had hit .139.

Ali Stark, who struggled hitting against Purdue, had a bounce-back performance of her own, notching four kills of her six in the first set. Though her hitting numbers faded as the game progressed, she aided Illinois in the passing game and blocked four balls, including a solo stuff.

Hambly was pleased with her performance. Stark finished the match with only 14 swings, but Hambly said that was “just matchup stuff,” and he’d like to see her get more swings going forward.

“I thought she did great, she had a couple really big blocks on the right, and I thought she had a couple of key swings for us too tonight and passed really, really well,” Hambly said. “For Ali, we want her to pass and play great defense, and I thought she did a pretty good job of that.”

Meanwhile, Liz McMahon continued to produce at a high level, notching 15 kills off 35 swings for a .314 hitting percentage. McMahon’s emergence as a serious offensive threat, Birks said, was not a shock.

“I’ve always expected her to be that good … but she has been tearing it up out there,” she said.

The Illini will certainly need all of their offensive weapons clicking Thursday against No. 2 Penn State. On the block, Johnson and Anna Dorn combined for just eight kills and six errors on 23 swings. Hambly said Dorn needs to regain the confidence she had earlier in the season, and he wants to give her more opportunities.

“We’re gonna get her involved,” he said. “We’re trying. She’s struggling a little bit, she’s lost a lot of confidence. We’ll continue to work in practice and see if we can get it going.”

Eliot can be reached at [email protected] and @EliotTweet.