This. One of the most fun sports to watch in my opinion.
Illini Volleyball 2018
- Status
This. One of the most fun sports to watch in my opinion.
It was nice to see Beth Prince getting the winning kill, after everything she's been through in her career at Illinois.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Not even really a comment directly relating to instate talent, though I assume - like with most sports - the state of Illinois has WELL above average high school talent. It's also the fact that we have a university that is a Public Ivy, a massive alumni/fan base that is hungry for success, a very large endowment and a college town that gains more and more attention each year as a very desirable place to spend four years of college. At the very least, Illinois should be competing consistently in damn near every sport. Football is our steepest climb given our history of being awful in the modern era and how the arms race has exploded in the past 20 years or so, and even there we should hardly EVER win fewer than 5-6 games. There is too much potential here for us to get lulled into the very easy-to-believe narrative that we're "poor old Illinois." The ONLY reason success hasn't been had here in anything is bad luck or inept leadership; the expectation here should be good teams, and the goal should be greatness. When squads like our 2005 basketball team or this year's volleyball come along, they shouldn't necessarily be viewed as once-in-a-lifetime teams ... they should be proof of what can be achieved here with the right people in place.
Proud of these ladies and pumped to watch them in the Final Four!!
Neale Stoner Fan Club
Tailgreat
- Chiraq
Good luck to BYU! Please beat Stanford and that smug Kevin Hambly. I can't believe Stanford hired him after his last season at UI when UI didn't even make the NCAAs. Not to mention in 2011, UI was national runner-up and the next year Hambly couldn't get the team to the NCAA tournament.
Tamas is underpaid. Get him a new contract, Josh Whitman!
Tamas is underpaid. Get him a new contract, Josh Whitman!
I wouldn't go that far. By the end of Hambly's tenure at Illinois I was not sad to see him leave, but he appeared to be a good guy. He was a total player's coach who everyone seemed to like playing for. Illinois had very few transfers while he was the coach. He just didn't get the most out of his players and his teams had a hard time finishing matches, which was really frustrating.
I think Tamas is a much better coach, but I don't have any hard feelings toward Hambly. Hambly did recruit almost all of our current players, so I'm grateful to him for that. I do really want to see Stanford lose, though
chiefini
- Rockford, Illinois
I wouldn't go that far. By the end of Hambly's tenure at Illinois I was not sad to see him leave, but he appeared to be a good guy. He was a total player's coach who everyone seemed to like playing for. Illinois had very few transfers while he was the coach. He just didn't get the most out of his players and his teams had a hard time finishing matches, which was really frustrating.
I think Tamas is a much better coach, but I don't have any hard feelings toward Hambly. Hambly did recruit almost all of our current players, so I'm grateful to him for that. I do really want to see Stanford lose, though
I agree with almost everything in this post except I want Stanford to win so the Illini can beat them and Hambly. Our ladies would be very, very motivated...But first, Go Illini, beat Nebraska!
-L-LBananaShampoo
Captain 'Paign
- Phoenix, AZ
Uh, you guys DO realize Hambly has Stanford as the #1 seed and they have only lost one match all season, right? Let's not all act like we weren't really sad when Hambly left for his dream job (he is a California native so a lot closer to home, plus Stanford has always been a VBall power in it's own right). That said, I think we lucked out with Tamas as he is already proving to be a great coach capable of keeping this train rolling. Also, hopefully we'll get to see them prove who is the better coach of the better team when and if they meet in the Championship match!I wouldn't go that far. By the end of Hambly's tenure at Illinois I was not sad to see him leave, but he appeared to be a good guy. He was a total player's coach who everyone seemed to like playing for. Illinois had very few transfers while he was the coach. He just didn't get the most out of his players and his teams had a hard time finishing matches, which was really frustrating.
I think Tamas is a much better coach, but I don't have any hard feelings toward Hambly. Hambly did recruit almost all of our current players, so I'm grateful to him for that. I do really want to see Stanford lose, though
And you do realize that this Stanford team won the national championship two years ago under a different coach while almost all of them were freshmen (Plummer, Gray, Hentz, Fitzmorris)? They are a great team and I'm not saying that Hambly is a terrible coach, but I think most Illinois fans are very happy with Coach Tamas and are not missing Hambly. I think if you go back and look at comments when Hambly left, a lot of people were not that upset
BananaShampoo
Captain 'Paign
- Phoenix, AZ
Oh I'm definitely happy with Tamas. Think he's doing a great job. I think a lot of people understood the move by Hambly as coming down to mostly personal reasons for his leaving. Still think he's a great coach.
Dan
Admin
Illini fans are invited to a send-off rally-
Huff Hall Tuesday beginning at 5:15pm
Coach Tamas, the team, and the pep band will all be there. Come on out and show Illini pride as they head off to the Final Four!
https://www.facebook.com/illininetworkers/posts/2085650211523545
Huff Hall Tuesday beginning at 5:15pm
Coach Tamas, the team, and the pep band will all be there. Come on out and show Illini pride as they head off to the Final Four!
https://www.facebook.com/illininetworkers/posts/2085650211523545
I would prefer we beat Stanford than BYU.
Joel Goodson
- dawgville
As would I, but I really don't care. 2 more wins, please!
Wait for the national championship t-shirts on Monday.
SuperMetroid
- Evanston
Took the 5-year old to the game on Saturday. While nothing will ever top Arizona '05, the intensity and sheer volume inside Huff reminded me of that day. I counted at least 3 service errors by Wisconsin that were directly influenced by the crowd noise, including the crucial one to end set #3. Hope we can show up in large enough numbers to at least make it a relatively neutral site against Nebraska.
Deleted member 11241
D
Guest
Took my daughter to the game Friday and it was so great to be there and experience that atmosphere. She loves volleyball and has been playing for 8 years in school and club. We have been coming up to games for 5 years now and have loved every minute of it. She is a junior this year and as part of her senior graduation gift next year, I was going to get tickets and take her to the Final Four. Really wish I had foreseen this happening as we would have loved to make that trip this year. Just no way I'm gonna be able to swing it this year now, but we will sure be watching and cheering on the team and hoping they make a return trip next year!!
Both games were electric! I expected a tougher match on Friday, but Marquette didn't have an answer for our ladies this weekend. Then, Wisconsin always scares me...they are a very well coached and balanced team but so are we! That atmosphere in Huff, as has been said multiple times, was just incredible!
Funny story...I was sitting almost directly in front of the lady they kept panning to and saying "Jordyn Poulter's mom and family are watching on." ESPN just pans to the audience and assumes those are her folks but they weren't. I found that funny. It also meant I got on TV a lot more than I had anticipated which I could also live without...
Funny story...I was sitting almost directly in front of the lady they kept panning to and saying "Jordyn Poulter's mom and family are watching on." ESPN just pans to the audience and assumes those are her folks but they weren't. I found that funny. It also meant I got on TV a lot more than I had anticipated which I could also live without...
Is it 5:15 yet,?
Are we there?
Are we there?
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Have the times of the Final Four games been posted? If so, I apologize, but I decided to look them up for myself since I will definitely be tuning in!
THURSDAY 12/13
6:00pm CT - #4 BYU vs. #1 Stanford on ESPN
8:00pm CT - #7 Nebraska vs. #3 Illinois on ESPN
SATURDAY 12/15
8:00pm CT - National Championship on ESPN2
So excited that this is on a regular TV channel (my cable provider doesn't have ESPNU)! Would love nothing more than to be able to watch the Illini play on Saturday night.
THURSDAY 12/13
6:00pm CT - #4 BYU vs. #1 Stanford on ESPN
8:00pm CT - #7 Nebraska vs. #3 Illinois on ESPN
SATURDAY 12/15
8:00pm CT - National Championship on ESPN2
So excited that this is on a regular TV channel (my cable provider doesn't have ESPNU)! Would love nothing more than to be able to watch the Illini play on Saturday night.
I agree with almost everything in this post except I want Stanford to win so the Illini can beat them and Hambly. Our ladies would be very, very motivated...But first, Go Illini, beat Nebraska!
I-N-I
- Status