Women's Volleyball

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Dec. 18, 2008

By Mike Koon, Illinois Sports Information

When asked by reporters what it meant to make it out of the second round and into the following week's Sweet 16, All-American Laura DeBruler honestly and quite simply said, "We have a whole week to get better in practice. We've been getting better in every match and I'm just glad that we have another week with this team. All the hard work that we've put in all season is finally paying off."

While at least one professional athlete in a now infamous tirade said, "We're talking about practice. We're talking about practice, not a game, not a game, practice," DeBruler, after the biggest win of her career, couldn't wait to get back to work with her teammates at Huff Hall on Monday.

That exemplifies a lot about the character and make-up of the 2008 Fighting Illini. Instead of focusing on what could have been and just how close the team was to getting over the top in 2007, Illinois players returned for spring drills with the simple goal of getting better and letting the rest take care of itself.

The team grew both in skill and in chemistry during a spring that culminated in two weeks in Europe. The Illini went 9-1 and posted a significant win over the Italian Junior National Team, but more importantly they grew into a tighter unit ready to tackle the most challenging schedule for an Illinois team in at least a decade.

While the team set internal goals for 2008, they did so not to put extra pressure on themselves, but merely to make sure the journey was on course. And that philosophy was put to the test early in the season. After 11th-ranked Oregon dominated the first two sets 25-14 and 25-16 in the championship match of the State Farm Illini Classic, Illinois players set out just to play their game.

"We play better when we're not outcome-oriented," Illinois head coach Don Hardin said time and again during the 2008 season.

Fans got a glimpse of just how good DeBruler could be as well. The somewhat undersized sophomore came up big with 22 kills in the final three sets as Illinois rallied from a 19-14 deficit in the fourth set and then went on take set five 15-13 and the match in dramatic fashion.

DeBruler was named National Player of the Week for her efforts and also earned the first of three Big Ten Player of the Weeks on the season.

"Anyone who watched us in the first two sets wouldn't expect that kind of comeback and neither did I," Hardin said after the Oregon match. "It was a real gut check because they beat us in every statistical category, including points scored."

Illinois went 8-2 on the road in the Big Ten, won at Michigan and Ohio State in the same season for the first time since 1998 and overcame the demons at Wisconsin Fieldhouse for the first victory over the Badgers in Madison since 1995.

Meanwhile, the Illini lost just three times at Huff Hall all year -- to top-ranked Penn State and two five-set matches against no. 12 Minnesota and Northwestern. It was that defeat to the last-place Wildcats that exemplified just what could happen if the Illini concerned themselves with winning and losing.

All year, Illinois played a style that kept rallies going and forced the opponent to make the mistake on the point. Thanks to a lot of hard work by returnees and the emergence of freshman Michelle Bartsch, the Illini became a force on the block. Bartsch had 134 blocks, which ranked 10th in the Big Ten, en route to Big Ten and Mideast Region Freshman of the Year accolades.

Middle blocker Johannah Bangert, a two-time Big Ten Player of the Week, was at the heart of the blocking success, leading not only the conference, but also the nation with 1.60 blocks per set.

Those were just a couple of the strong individual stories during the 2008 season. Hillary Haen emerged as a leader not only as the starting setter in a 6-2 system, but also as a steadying force in the front row. With the fans counting down each dig, Ashley Edinger set the Illinois career digs record on Nov. 1 against Ohio State, now with 1,614 for her career.

Illinois showed unfettered emotion, which rubbed off on the fans at Huff Hall. Edinger and Abby Nelson were the most expressive in celebrating points. Nelson, a middle blocker, led the Illini with 29 service aces on the year with a style all her own.

This team captured the hearts of fans young and old as the lines at the autograph tables following each match would indicate. The feel-good moment of the year came Oct. 31, when senior Kayani Turner, who has suffered through a myriad of injuries, came into the match against Michigan after yet another setback and promptly came through with a key block. That helped Illinois to a five-set victory.

The practice paid off late in the year as Illinois made a run up to no. 14 in the national rankings. The Illini won 16 out of 19, including 13 of 15 following the hiccup against Northwestern. A total of 10 of those 16 wins came in three sets as Illinois made its case for a national seed and home matches in the NCAA Tournament.

The Illini did just that, earning a number nine national seed and hosting first and second round matches for the third time this decade. Illinois defeated UW-Milwaukee and Cincinnati on its home court in the first two rounds, earning the school's first Sweet 16 appearance since 2003. Hardin announced his retirement from coaching in the week leading up to the tournament and fans came out not only to push the Illini past the first two rounds, but also to express appreciation for all Hardin has meant to the Illini in his career.

"(Despite our youth), I think it shows a lot that we're still able to go out there and compete and not think about what's at stake," DeBruler added after the Cincinnati victory. "We're able to just go out there and stick with what we know."

Although California downed Illinois in three sets in the Sweet 16, all three sets came down to the end with the Bears winning 25-22 each time. The Illini had backed up their seed and DeBruler was named All-Regional Tournament and later became Illinois' first All-American in four seasons. Illinois finished the season 26-8, a wins mark only eight Illini teams have surpassed in the program's 34 years.

Senior Lizzie Bazzetta, who stands fourth on Illinois' all-time assists lists, summed it up best in the post-match press conference.

"I don't have a single ounce of disappointment of that match or this season," Bazzetta said. "This is more than I could have asked for in my senior season. This program has come a long way and it was well worth it. We worked hard since January. This is a core group of people and this is a team I will never forget."

As Hardin passes the torch to the next Illinois coach, he reiterates the feelings of most Illini fans that the success in 2008 is merely a preamble to what is to come for Illinois volleyball as the Illini return seven of its eight regulars in 2009 with the promise of stellar recruiting classes to follow.

This year's Illini set the standard for how to raise the bar for the program - with a lot of hard work and spirited competition each day the players put on the Illinois uniform -- even in practice.