Illini Volleyball 2018

SuperMetroid said:

Pressure really got to our youngsters in the end. Endless service errors after being nearly perfect the first 2 sets. Just shot ourselves in the foot way too many times. Gutted that Poulter and Bastianelli had to go out like that.

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Yes but sadly this season was probably the highwater mark given the players that graduate. Really hoped they’d bring it home. Sad for the girls.

JIllini said:

Two of those seniors are All-Americans, including probably the best setter in the country. We'll still be a good team, but if we were gonna win a national title in the near future this had to be the year IMO. I think Quade will keep us in the top 25 next year, but Poulter and Bastianelli will be hard to replace.

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Then we will see if this year was just a flash in the pan or the start of Illinois becoming a national power. I'm guessing Stanford and Nebraska have lost many All-Americans over the years and have come out just fine.

Illinifan533 said:

Then we will see if this year was just a flash in the pan or the start of Illinois becoming a national power. I'm guessing Stanford and Nebraska have lost many All-Americans over the years and have come out just fine.

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The difference is, they have top 10 recruits coming in pretty much every year. We aren't quite there yet. Hopefully the success we had this season will start to change that.

Out of all the college volleyball teams in the US, only four made it to the level that our ladies did, and with the record they did. That's impressive, damned impressive. The girls have nothing to be ashamed of, nor do we. How would be feel if hte basketball team made it to the final four? If the football team made it to the playoffs?

My hope is that everyone who watched the Fighting Illini volleyball team on TV will show up at a game in person. Show them that support. I'll admit that I've never seen a college level--or anything beyond co-rec volleyball we played in...where the heck did we play? Dang, it's a fast game. I expected that. But seeing it is another matter. I'm out of state and don't make it back to C-U very often. But I'll keep a lookout for the Illini when they come to a court near me.

breadman said:

This final result was just so Illinois-ish of us.

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Actually, unlike our "revenue teams" this team is a WINNER. They may have lost in the semifinals, but remember they lost in the semifinals. Great effort and great team need to be celebrated. Thanks ladies you have made the Illini nation proud

rdillini said:

Actually, unlike our "revenue teams" this team is a WINNER. They may have lost in the semifinals, but remember they lost in the semifinals. Great effort and great team need to be celebrated. Thanks ladies you have made the Illini nation proud

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Yep ... that ending was heart breaking (during the review time, I literally said to my girlfriend they were going to screw us ... she was like, "no way, there isn't evidence, calm down!" ... such is being an Illini fan, trained for misery), but it made me remember what watching an Illinois team that I was legitimately confident in and proud of in a MEANINGFUL game - even if it wasn't one of the revenue sports. Football and AT LEAST basketball WILL get there again, regardless of who the coach is to take us there. I cannot wait for that day.

Until then, I honestly, truthfully look forward to next volleyball season!! Might even try to make it over for a weekend game! Proud of our Illini.

Will miss these seniors for sure. But, we have a highly regarded setter already on the roster who I believe redshirted this year in Diana Brown. We have a highly regarded recruit to fill the Middle Blocker void that Ali is leaving. Next years team is going to be more than "Jacqueline Quade keeping us in the Top 25" as someone suggested earlier...it'll be a nationally relevant team. Our coach was a setter on the national team and knows how to get the most out of his players, his assistants all have high level playing experience and as a group they have shown that they know how to scheme well, adjust well, and make the most of whatever is thrown there way. And they know how to throw some wrinkles the other way too.

I'm sure there will be a slight dip next season. You won't get Poulter and Bastianelli level production out of a RS-Fr and true freshman, but they will be quality pieces that will show everyone that this team isn't just a flash in the pan. Make no mistake, Illinois volleyball is here to stay. Sweet 16 caliber team next season, with a chance to surprise us even further if they mold together well. We will have 4 Seniors next year that are meaningful rotation pieces this year (Fleming, Quade, Prince, Welsh) of which I expect Fleming and Quade to compete for all-conference and all-american accolades. I know its hard to believe as an Illini fan who watches basketball and football more, but I've watched this team closely for a while now (really since my days on campus from 2006-2010) and Illinois volleyball is in very capable hands. I firmly believe that.

Okay, unpopular hot take time:

It was super clear that the ball hit the pinky finger as it went by. As they played it frame by frame they got to the moment in question. If I remember correctly, the finger appeared twice in the same frame (or something very similar to it), ergo the ball hit the finger.

Ramrod2010 said:

Okay, unpopular hot take time:

It was super clear that the ball hit the pinky finger as it went by. As they played it frame by frame they got to the moment in question. If I remember correctly, the finger appeared twice in the same frame (or something very similar to it), ergo the ball hit the finger.

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Does her finger move, yes, does not without question prove the ball did it. Check out her index finger on the same hand - same effect. Your assumption, and their's is that players keep their fingers absolutely still during a block.

The only real evidence would be change in ball spin or direction which was not evident in that replay.

Ramrod2010 said:

Okay, unpopular hot take time:

It was super clear that the ball hit the pinky finger as it went by. As they played it frame by frame they got to the moment in question. If I remember correctly, the finger appeared twice in the same frame (or something very similar to it), ergo the ball hit the finger.

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Admittedly, I don't watch volleyball replays frequently. I did see the "double pinky" frame also. But I also saw other fingers/or thumb double frame too, including on the hand that wasn't near the ball. Unless the referees has some other camera angles or super duper slow motion to provide irrefutable evidence, they had no business reversing the call on the floor. We played poorly after it was called and score was 13 -11 them. We'll never know if the outcome would have been different if we went forward from a 12 - 12 tie.

It's so ironic that we got reffed (as somebody else called it) with two blown calls that changed the outcome of the Michigan at Illinois 2000 football game from a win to a loss. That incident was the catalyst for the B1G to implement football video replay, and eventually all of the NCAA to adopt it. Then we got reffed in 2013 NCAA basketball tournament on a blown out-of-bounds call that awarded Miami possession in the final minute and potentially decided the outcoume. Video replay showed, and Miami player later admitted, they touched last but rules didn't allow video review of out-of-bounds calls. NCAA created new rule allowing video review on out-of-bounds calls in the last 2 minutes of games. Now, in 2018, we get reffed in a Women's Volleyball Final 4 game with a blown video review call. I wonder what "new" NCAA video review rule will come out of this?

Great season in a very competitive sport. Congrats on a well-earned final four

Illinir1 said:

Admittedly, I don't watch volleyball replays frequently. I did see the "double pinky" frame also. But I also saw other fingers/or thumb double frame too, including on the hand that wasn't near the ball. Unless the referees has some other camera angles or super duper slow motion to provide irrefutable evidence, they had no business reversing the call on the floor. We played poorly after it was called and score was 13 -11 them. We'll never know if the outcome would have been different if we went forward from a 12 - 12 tie.

It's so ironic that we got reffed (as somebody else called it) with two blown calls that changed the outcome of the Michigan at Illinois 2000 football game from a win to a loss. That incident was the catalyst for the B1G to implement football video replay, and eventually all of the NCAA to adopt it. Then we got reffed in 2013 NCAA basketball tournament on a blown out-of-bounds call that awarded Miami possession in the final minute and potentially decided the outcoume. Video replay showed, and Miami player later admitted, they touched last but rules didn't allow video review of out-of-bounds calls. NCAA created new rule allowing video review on out-of-bounds calls in the last 2 minutes of games. Now, in 2018, we get reffed in a Women's Volleyball Final 4 game with a blown video review call. I wonder what "new" NCAA video review rule will come out of this?

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I hope you're right, maybe you are. I'm conditioned to thinking negatively as an Illini fan, and I remember the disastrous 2012 volleyball season after our national championship appearance. But we do have good talent returning. May have some additional help coming in too. I heard that Bruna Vrankovic, the outside hitter who played professionally in Croatia, was declared ineligible for this season but may be available next year should she choose to stay. Also rumors that a stud setter may be transferring to Illinois from Auburn.

JIllini said:

The difference is, they have top 10 recruits coming in pretty much every year. We aren't quite there yet. Hopefully the success we had this season will start to change that.

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Looks as if the transfer scene in volleyball is pretty dynamic, though. The program is in a good place - I think we'll be back in the F4 sooner rather than later.

With that call, the atmosphere at the Illini Union viewing party went silent. Still, this has been a very exciting, fun ride of a season!

JIllini said:

I hope you're right, maybe you are. I'm conditioned to thinking negatively as an Illini fan, and I remember the disastrous 2012 volleyball season after our national championship appearance. But we do have good talent returning. May have some additional help coming in too. I heard that Bruna Vrankovic, the outside hitter who played professionally in Croatia, was declared ineligible for this season but may be available next year should she choose to stay. Also rumors that a stud setter may be transferring to Illinois from Auburn.

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Yeah, and the pieces we're losing seem similar to the pieces we lost from 2011 to 2012. I remember that too, but I think the incoming recruits and potential transfers set us up to maintain a little better this time than back then.

Illinir1 said:

Admittedly, I don't watch volleyball replays frequently. I did see the "double pinky" frame also. But I also saw other fingers/or thumb double frame too, including on the hand that wasn't near the ball. Unless the referees has some other camera angles or super duper slow motion to provide irrefutable evidence, they had no business reversing the call on the floor. We played poorly after it was called and score was 13 -11 them. We'll never know if the outcome would have been different if we went forward from a 12 - 12 tie.

It's so ironic that we got reffed (as somebody else called it) with two blown calls that changed the outcome of the Michigan at Illinois 2000 football game from a win to a loss. That incident was the catalyst for the B1G to implement football video replay, and eventually all of the NCAA to adopt it. Then we got reffed in 2013 NCAA basketball tournament on a blown out-of-bounds call that awarded Miami possession in the final minute and potentially decided the outcoume. Video replay showed, and Miami player later admitted, they touched last but rules didn't allow video review of out-of-bounds calls. NCAA created new rule allowing video review on out-of-bounds calls in the last 2 minutes of games. Now, in 2018, we get reffed in a Women's Volleyball Final 4 game with a blown video review call. I wonder what "new" NCAA video review rule will come out of this?

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The origin of the B1G football video review process (and ultimately other NCAA sports including volleyball):
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-09-26-0009260060-story.html

Stanford beats Nebraska in a really close 5th set to win the national title. Makes me think we could have given Stanford a run for their money as well. Congrats to coach Hambly.