Illinois (6-0) will be in action again Friday and Saturday at the Hyatt Place Invitational at the Western Kentucky campus in Bowling Green, Ky. Beat reporter Scott Ritchie has the following predictions for a big weekend of non-conference play:
Who did you defeat?
Last weekend in Ames, Iowa, Illinois faced its toughest matches yet: two five-set matches played in completely different environments. Illinois came from behind to beat host Iowa State in front of a rapt crowd of 1,079, then beat Wake Forest in five sets in front of a crowd of 80. Illinois head coach Chris Tamas called the two wins “something we haven’t won in years.” Reina Terry was named Big Ten Player of the Week after totaling 62 kills over the weekend, while middle blocker Ashlyn Philpott and setter Brooke Mosher were also named to the All-Tournament Team.
“We’re working really well positionally,” Tamas said. “We have a combination that’s working well. We have more depth, we have more guys that can kill the ball in different positions, which is a good thing. We’re not relying on Reyna to make every swing. We’ve talked about that a lot. It’s not just about getting the kill, it’s about being efficient while doing so. One thing I’m pretty happy with is the efficiency of our attack and how well we’re running a well-distributed attack and not just relying on one guy.”
The Opponents They Face
To remain unbeaten, Illinois will have to take on an even bigger task than last weekend’s win in Ames. Illinois opens Hyatt Place Invitational play against No. 24 Dayton on Friday at 1 p.m., then plays Western Kentucky on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Hilltoppers are among the teams voted into this week’s American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25. Illinois has won two straight games, beating Iowa State and Wake Forest, but a win against either or both of Dayton and Western Kentucky would be a bigger resume boost.
“It’s always big when you play a team that’s ranked high or is ‘ahead’ of you. We have to be prepared going into conference play. The conference as a whole has done a really good job in the pre-conference games and we’ve done our job, but we’ve got to continue to take it one game at a time and try to win when we can. Both of our opponents this weekend are good teams. Both are perennial tournament teams that have been ranked in the top 25 for the last decade.”
Who is missing?
Coach Tamas touted the team’s depth heading into the season based on a number of factors. Illinois’ roster is bigger this season as the staff was given approval to add two more players, and a focus on the transfer portal has resulted in the acquisition of two key rotation players in outside hitter Avery Hernandez and defensive specialist Christy Martinez-Mundo. But the depth this season has been theoretical so far, with Kayla Burbage, Sarah Bingham and Gabby Dean missing the first six games of the season.
“Kayla had surgery before the start of the season and we’re hopeful she’ll be back this year,” Tamas said. “We’ll cross that bridge when we need to make a decision, but Kayla’s decision will have to depend on how her rehab and recovery progresses. Sarah and Gabby are still taking it week by week and we’ll go from there. They’re both recovering well and we think they’ll be able to be back this season.”
