Dec. 2, 2008
Champaign, Ill. -
Complete Match Notes in PDF Format 
ILLINOIS AT A GLANCE
Illinois will be hosting NCAA First and Second Rounds this week.
Schedule
12/5, 5 p.m. -- Western Kentucky (26-9) vs. Cincinnati (26-6)
12/5 7 p.m. #9 seed Illinois (24-7) vs. UW-Milwaukee (23-8)
12/6 7 p.m. -- Winners meet
Ticket Information
Fans can purchase all session tickets in person at the University of Illinois Ticket Office or by calling 866-Illini-1. Ticket prices are $12 for reserved seats, $10 for general admission and $6 for students. Single session tickets will be available Friday. Those prices are $8 for reserved seats, $7 for general admission and $5 for students.
Open Practices
Fans wishing to get a sneak peak of the teams can do so at an open practice on Thursday. All four teams will hold open practices to the public and media at Huff Hall.
Noon-1:30 pm -- Western Ky. practice 1:45-3:15 pm -- Cincinnati practice
3:30-5:00 pm -- Illinois practice
5:15-6:45 pm -- UWM practice
Streaming Video/Radio Broadcasts
Live streaming of all NCAA events will be available on NCAA.com free of charge.
• Dave Loane will be providing live play-by-play of Illinois broadcasts on WDWS (AM-1400) and on a few stations along the Illini Sports Network.
Illinois NCAA Tournament history
• Illinois is making its first NCAA berth since 2004. The Illini have made the post-season five times in the last 10 seasons (1998, 1999, 2001, 2003 & 2004) and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 1998 and 2003.
• Illinois has advanced to the NCAA 16 times in the past 23 seasons, reaching the Sweet 16 nine times and the Final Four in 1987 and 1988. Don Hardin was an assistant coach during the run in `87.
The Tournament in Champaign
This is the 11th year that Illinois has hosted NCAA Tournament action, dating back to 1986. The Illini are 16-3 in NCAA home matches, which included Regional Final victories over Nebraska and Oklahoma, respectively, to advance to the 1987 and 1988 Final Fours. Illinois also hosted the 1992 Mideast Regional, falling to Stanford in an epoch four-set battle.
The Illini made Kenney Gym their home until 1990, when they moved to Huff Hall.
Teams bring Illini connections
All three teams bring Illinois connections to Huff Hall this weekend.
• Illinois volunteer assistant Melissa David was an All-Horizon League performer for UW-Milwaukee in 2006, helping the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament. That year, David and UWM played in the State Farm Illini Classic, falling to the Illini in three sets
• The last time Illinois hosted NCAA matches, All-American Erin Virtue was the Illini's setter. Now she is in her second year as an assistant for Cincinnati. Virtue began her coaching career at Loyola in 2006.
• Another Illinois All-American, Lisa Argabright, has a sister that stars for Western Kentucky. Megan Argabright leads the team with 454 kills while hitting a robust .384.
Series history
• Illinois leads the series with UW-Milwaukee 3-0 with the last meeting coming at the 2006 State Farm Illini Classic, a 30-16, 30-27, 30-26 victory.
• Illinois played Cincinnati five times combined in 1979 and 1980 with Illinois holding a 3-2 advantage. The Bearcats knocked the Illini out of the post-season in 1979 with a four-game victory in the MAIW Championship.
• Illinois and Western Kentucky have never met.
Following a pattern?
Illinois has taken foreign trips in 1998 and 2003 and each has translated into trips to the Sweet 16.
First round opponents teamed to help inner-city Chicago youth
University of Illinois and UW-Milwaukee volleyball athletes teamed to share their skills with students in Chicago in March. About 100 4th-6th graders spent one Saturday morning learning some of the basics of the game of volleyball at St. Francis de Sales High School on the city's South Side
At least two players from each university were at each station, sharing the same skills that are taught at the summer camps - serving, passing, setting, blocking, attacking, defense, floor game and agility. Many of the kids came from the Starlings Volleyball Club and others from the Boys and Girls Club. Following an interactive lunch, the Illini and Panthers held their first scrimmage against outside competition during the spring season.
More on UW-Milwaukee: The Panthers won the Horizon League regular season and tournament titles this year. Two of their 23 wins came over NCAA qualifiers (Iowa State and Florida A&M). Illinois and UWM have two common opponents. The Panthers lost to Illinois State (3-0) and Michigan State (3-0) while the Illini defeated the Redbirds (3-1) and twice downed the Spartans (3-0 and 3-2).
Illinois and UW-Milwaukee have met once in the post-season, coming in 1999.The Illini defeated the Panthers in four sets in Gainesville, Fla., before losing a tough five-set match to no. 4 Florida in the second round.
More on Cincinnati: Cincinnati brings a 26-6 record into the tournament after winning a share of the Big East title. The Bearcats are an at-large representative in the NCAA after being upset by Pittsburgh in the Big East Tournament.
UC won 15 straight matches to end the regular season. The Bearcats are 1-1 against Big Ten teams, having lost to Minnesota in three sets on Sept. 6 and defeated Indiana in three sets to capture the IU Credit Union Tournament title on Sept. 20.
More on Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers won the automatic bid from the Sun Belt Conference. WKU is 4-2 vs. teams for BCS conferences, which includes victories over Alabama, Iowa, Virginia Tech and Arizona State.
The match-up in the first round is a rematch from an Oct. 14 match with the Bearcats. Cincinnati defeated the Hilltoppers 25-17, 15-19, 20-25, 25-23. Megan Argabright leads the team with 454 kills and a .384 attack percentage.
DeBruler, Bangert win Big Ten statistical titles
Laura DeBruler and Johannah Bangert wrapped up statistical titles in the conference. DeBruler led the league in kills in both overall (4.62 kps) and conference matches (4.73) while also leading the league in points (5.23). DeBruler finished in front of second-place Erica Short (4.29) of Indiana in kills during conference matches.
Bangert, meanwhile led the Big Ten in blocks in both conference (1.72) and overall matches (1.61), bettering Arielle Wilson of Penn State by 0.20.
• DeBruler repeated her conference leadership in kills while Bangert became the first Illinois player to lead the league in blocks since Denise Fracaro in 1984.
• This also marks the first time that Illinois players have won multiple categories since 1998 when Melissa Beitz led the league in assists and Tracey Marshall led the conference in digs.
Tournament filled with Illinois opponents
• The fact that Illinois received a no. 9 national seed has a lot to do with having one of the toughest schedules. Illinois played 20 matches against teams considered "regionally ranked" by the AVCA, going 14-6 in those matches and 18 matches against "nationally ranked" teams, going 12-6.
• The Big Ten had four of the top ten seeds in the tournament -- no. 1 Penn State, no. 6 Minnesota, no. 9 Illinois and no. 10 Purdue.
• Illinois also played three other seeded teams, going 2-1 against those teams -- no. 2 Stanford, no. 11 Oregon and no. 13 Saint Louis.
• Illinois aplayed five other teams in the tournament -- Dayton, New Mexico State, Tennessee, Michigan, North Carolina
• In all, the Illini played against 15 matches against 11 teams that earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Season has been a breakout
Illinois has burst back onto the national scene this year.
• At 15-5, the Illini have won more conference matches than any since going 15-5 in 2003 and have won 20 matches overall for the first time since winning 26 in `03.
• Saw its first national ranking since 2004
• Defeated two ranked teams in the same day for the first time ever with a 24-26, 25-21, 25-19, 25-14 victory over New Mexico State in the afternoon and a comeback 14-25, 16-25, 26-24, 25-21, 15-13 over no. 11 Oregon in the evening at the State Farm Illini Classic.
• Defeated three ranked teams in the same season for the first time since 2003.
• Won at Michigan and Ohio State in the same season since 1998 and first victory over Purdue since 2003.
• Defeated Wisconsin, annually one of the teams in conference, for the first time since 2004 and won at Wisconsin for the first time since 1995.
• Qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004
