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Women's Volleyball
Illini volleyball meets the media
Head Coach Kevin HamblyOn 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 On tackling the rugged Big Ten Senior libero Ashley EdingerOn 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 BartschOn 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 DeBrulerOn 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... On playing for Coach Hambly...
Senior outside hitter Kylie McCulleyOn 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... Junior middle blocker Johannah BangertOn 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 WolfeOn 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... Junior setter Hillary HaenOn 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." |