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Illini volleyball meets the media
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Kylie McCulley gives a TV interview on Friday at Media Day.
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Head Coach Kevin Hambly
On the storylines so far during the first week of practice"Jackie Wolfe and Rachel Feldman are two of the players I have been happiest with us. We are going to have to find a way to get them on the floor.
Michelle Bartsch is hitting out of the back row in practice and doing a really nice job. I really feel that this could be her breakout year. She has the potential to be one of the best players in the conference. Physically she is gifted and she is more skilled than players her size.
Johannah Bangert has added a lot to her game offensively. I'm hoping we can keep her going in a good direction. She is someone we can see do a little more for us."
On Laura DeBruler growing into a leader
"No one works harder and no one handles herself better on a day-to-day basis than Laura - in the school, in the community and in her overall character. If everyone is following her, we're going in a really good direction.:
On tackling the rugged Big Ten
"The thing that I like about this team is we have the most returning players and the most experience of anyone in the conference. What that means, we'll find out when we get to the Big Ten. Our goal is to get in the NCAA Tournament and make a run there. To do that we have to play our best ball at the end of the year. That is more of our focus."
Senior libero Ashley Edinger
On the start of the season and team goals..."We are just working on getting everyone integrated into our system, but it has started out really well so far. We have one goal and that is go further in the tournament than we did last year, that would mean either the Elite Eight or the Final Four."
Sophomore outside hitter Michelle Bartsch
On playing for the USA national team..."USA stuff is always great for everyone. It's always a lot of fun to play with girls from a bunch of different programs. It was nice to keep playing volleyball and staying in rhythm and in shape. It was a lot of fun to have four of us there, which was the most of any program."
Junior outside hitter Laura DeBruler
On the start of the season..."We have a lot of players returning and have been training all spring, so I am very excited for our season to start."
On the program receiving national publicity...
"We are definitely starting to build a strong foundation of being a program that people take seriously."
On playing for Coach Hambly...
"The transition was really smooth. Last year, Kevin was running practice and game day stuff for the most part. Now, it'll be really interesting that he will have everything in his control. I think it's going to be great, so we are just going to take it and run with it."
Senior outside hitter Kylie McCulley
On having an experienced team..."It's awesome to have a group of girls that you have played with already. We know how each other plays and we all know the system, so we are ready to take over where we left off and begin to accelerate things."
On national attention in the polls...
"It's good to see those rankings, but we try not to think about it too much. We know people will be going after us this year and we will be a target, but we just need to stay true to our game and what we do in order to play well."
Junior middle blocker Johannah Bangert
On the upcoming season..."This will definitely be a big season for us. We have a lot of big promotional events and a lot of matches on the Big Ten Network, so there is a lot of excitement around us. We had a good year last year by making it to the Sweet 16, so everyone is looking for us to do even better this year and that's what we are looking for too. It should be a really exciting year."
Freshman setter/defensive specialist Jackie Wolfe
On the first week of practice..."It's been going pretty well. I didn't really know what to expect going into it, and it was a little overwhelming at first. We have freshmen practice before regular practice which helps us get used to everything going on. I came into this week a little nervous, but it's been totally different than I thought. All the girls have been really supportive. I like it a lot."
On the freshman class...
"We are really pushing each other and getting to be really close. We are getting pretty competitive with each other, and it's been great to have a big group to come into freshman year with."
Junior setter Hillary Haen
On the prospects of competing for the Big Ten title"I think we have the athletes to win the Big Ten, but it will definitely be a challenge. I think we are definitely capable of that, but we found out last year that we need to gear up for every match."
