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Updated: November 3, 2022 @ 11:41 am The Illini volleyball team ended a three-match losing skid with a home win against No. 11 Penn State on Wednesday night at Huff Hall in Champaign.
College/Prep Sports Reporter The Illini volleyball team ended a three-match losing skid with a home win against No. 11 Penn State on Wednesday night at Huff Hall in Champaign.
Chris Tamas’ Illini got a first much-needed Top 25 win last week with another opportunity coming Thursday night versus the Badgers at Huff Hall in Champaign.
Beat writer Scott Richey breaks down the latest from the Illini: Postseason push Illinois’ RPI sits at No. 61 after last week’s wins against Penn State and Rutgers.
Beating the Nittany Lions , a first victory against a ranked team in 10 tries , was an obvious boost to the Illini’s postseason resume.
Another similar win Thursday against No. 3 Wisconsin would be a similar boost.
Because the Illini need it.
Their losses are still mostly OK save for a five-setter against Illinois State now that the Redbirds are 11-13 on the season.
Nonconference wins against Mississippi, Missouri State and Villanova aren’t much of a help either, with those three teams a combined 25-44. “We’re about to step into some pretty tough matches, whether home or on the road, and we look to, obviously, do well in those final eight to prove our worth,” Illinois coach Chris Tamas said. “RPI is not purely what you do.
It’s what the teams you played previously in conference do.
We knew from the get go we were going to have teams that were tournament worthy or capable.
Our RPI is creeping up. ...
It’s just a matter of if we can get the wins that we need, and we need to finish strong.” Postseason push, part II Diana Brown has experienced some real highs in her Illinois career when it comes to postseason play , a Final Four berth in 2018 and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2021 , but also the lows of not making the NCAA tournament in the delayed 2020 season.
The feeling of the latter is one the Illini setter doesn’t want to share with her teammates that haven’t experienced it before.
It’s part of what’s driving Brown in the final month of the regular season. “We still have eight more games in the Big Ten, and we’re trying to play for a spot in the tournament,” Brown said. “I like to take it one game at a time, but these last eight games, we really need to take every point for what it is.
We’d like to get all eight, but we’d like to get the one on Thursday first.” Defensive focus Rylee Hinton had her best week in the Big Ten this season in Illinois’ recent wins against Penn State and Rutgers.
The senior middle blocker put up 17 total blocks in those two matches combined and jumped to ninth in the conference at 1.37 blocks per set.
The preparation for those matches was detail-oriented and intentional, with Hinton and the other Illini middles practicing against the exact shots they’d face against the Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights. “Just being able to read the other side and not be guessing and making all these false reads,” Hinton said is one area where she’s improved as a blocker. “Being a lot more settled and more calm in what I’m doing.
It gets a little bit frantic when you’re younger because there’s a lot going on and it’s a lot faster than what you’re used to.
I’ve been doing this for a while, and it’s come a long way.” Easing back in Jessica Nunge has become more of an active participant in Illinois’ practices in the last couple weeks, as she’s made her return from a lower leg injury at the end of September.
The senior outside hitter has only served for the Illini the last four matches and has seven aces in that span.
A fully healthy Nunge creates an interesting scenario for Tamas.
A consistent lineup , even with setter Brooke Mosher playing as a six-rotation outside hitter , has helped Illinois in a season where injuries have made the rotation regularly unsettled. “If she’s ready to go in the front row, we’ll throw her in there if need be,” Tamas said of Nunge. “The reason to make a change in that regard is if you’re seeing it in practice or if someone’s having a tough game.
She’s still coming back into live play.
She’s been playing more in practice in live situations, but when you play a full game, it’s a little bit different than controlled reps in the gym.” Scott Richey is a reporter covering college basketball at The News-Gazette.
His email is srichey@news-gazette.com , and you can follow him on Twitter (@srrichey).
College/Prep Sports Reporter Scott Richey is a reporter covering college basketball at The News-Gazette.
His email is srichey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@srrichey).
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