Oct. 19, 2009

PARK RIDGE, Ill. -

Volleyball Attendance leaders in PDF Format

AVCA Coaches poll

For the second straight week, an Illinois player has earned the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Week. Senior libero Ashley Edinger wins the honor this week after playing a major role in straight set victories over both Northwestern and No. 6 Minnesota. The honor comes a week after junior middle blocker Johannah Bangert earned the Big Ten's weekly defensive honor.

Edinger commanded the Illinois defense that held opponents to .165 hitting over the weekend, averaging 6.3 digs per set. Against the Wildcats on Wednesday, the libero saved 19 hits and was flawless on all 11 of her service reception opportunities as the Fighting Illini held their opponent to a .092 attack clip on the night. On Saturday against the nationally ranked Golden Gophers, Edinger once again picked up 19 digs and converted on all 12 of her service receptions as Illinois earned the sweep. The senior now totals 1,868 digs in her career to rank in the conference's all-time top 10, also leading the Big Ten with 4.55 digs per set during conference play. The weekly honor is the fifth in Edinger's career.

• Illinois, winners of five straight matches, moved up two spots to eighth in the AVCA Coaches poll, passing both Minnesota and Florida. Penn State, who squeaked past Michigan in five sets, remains number one followed by Texas, Hawaii, Washington and Nebraska. Minnesota falls three spots to ninth while Michigan remains at No. 11. Two Illinois non-conference opponents, Florida State (17) and Saint Louis (24), remain in the top 25.

• The Illinois-Minnesota match Friday at Assembly Hall set a school attendance record of 7,632. It also ranks as the fifth-most to attend a college volleyball match this season behind only the UCLA at Nebraska match (13,870) from Sept. 13 and three matches at Hawaii. Illinois vaulted to ninth in attendance nationally, averaging 2,489 fans per match for eight dates.