Illini volleyball smashes its way onto the national stage
CHAMPAIGN - Not only did Hillary Haen not want to attend Illinois, she didn't even want to waste time on a recruiting visit.
At the time, evaluators regarded the Prairie Ridge High School product as one of the nation's top three prep setters.
Illinois, a once-proud volleyball program lodged in the Big Ten's second division, couldn't even compete, in Haen's mind, with a basic social engagement.
"I was really resistant to it," Haen said. "I told my parents, 'I have a party to be to tonight and I want to make sure I'm on time for it.' "
Yet Haen's father, John, convinced her to make the unofficial trip to the state's flagship school. In return, he promised they would return in time for the summertime bash.
"I came here and just fell in love with it right away," Haen said. "My parents and I had these secret signals in the background, 'Are you liking it?' or "You don't like it?'
"The whole thing, I'm like, 'Thumbs up! Yeah, it feels good!' And they're like, 'We've got to go if you want to get to your party on time.' "
Instead, Haen signaled she wanted to skip the party in order to stick around. As it turned out, then-assistant coach Kevin Hambly's simple plea during dinner worked wonders on Haen.
Though she didn't commit to the Illini that night, she later spurned offers from USC and Arizona and picked Illinois in 2005 prior to her junior year at Prairie Ridge.
"I remember Kevin saying on my unofficial visit, 'Just take a chance with me. Just try it out,' " Haen said. "And that really stuck with me. I'm not saying it's easy for anybody to go into a program that's already established, but it's easier to go someplace that already has a winning record, already has a big fan base.
"We've worked really hard these last few years to get a lot of respect, to increase the team's talent and everything and it's really paid off for us."
The biggest payoff came Friday night after Haen and the ninth-ranked Illini (9-2) toppled No. 2 Penn State (10-2) in five sets (17-25, 25-14, 25-19, 14-25, 17-15) that certainly will shake up the national rankings.
If you haven't been paying attention, the Nittany Lions own the last three NCAA championships, seven consecutive Big Ten titles and PSU had won 65 straight league matches until the loss to Illinois before a Huff Hall crowd of 4,141 - Illinois' first home sellout since 1992.
Suburban talentThis match should merit even more attention in these parts, because Hambly rebuilt the Illini largely with players who grew up starring on Daily Herald area courts.Against Penn State, four of Illinois' six starters came from the west and northwest suburbs."It wasn't like we didn't have enough money in the budget to go travel," Hambly said. "We recruited the country and ended up with DuPage kids."Not to mention the cream of the crop from Crystal Lake.bull; Haen, a senior voted to the preseason all-Big Ten team, ranks second nationally with 12.67 assists per set.bull; Senior outside hitter Laura DeBruler, a 2009 All-America from Downers Grove North, now needs just 12 kills to set Illinois' career record.In contrast to Haen's preconceived notions about Illinois, DeBruler wanted to attend the school badly. There was just one problem: There aren't many 5-foot-10 outside hitters able to dominate in college."My older sister went here and I visited her a lot," DeBruler said. "I really fell in love with the school. It just so happened I found out they were interested in me and I wanted to come here from the beginning."I've never regretted my decision. It's been awesome."The only brief period of non-awesomeness occurred recently when DeBruler was knocked off her feet by a case of mono. She eased herself back into training Tuesday and had 11 kills against PSU, her first match in three weeks.bull; Junior outside hitter Colleen Ward, a national Top 10 recruit from Naperville North, spent her first two seasons at Florida before transferring.Unlike major-college football and basketball, the NCAA doesn't require its volleyball athletes to sit out a transfer year - which has been a big boon for the Illini."I just wanted a different kind of experience, a different program," said Ward, who ranked among the SEC leaders in kills. "This was just perfect - exactly what I was looking for. Kevin's a great coach. He's really easy to get along with. The team was a perfect fit for me."Ward, who possesses such power that the ball makes a different sound when it flies off her hand, leads the Illini with 176 kills, the last 16 in the win over Penn State on Friday night.bull; Sophomore middle blocker Erin Johnson has been in the starting lineup from the moment she arrived from Crystal Lake South.bull; Sophomore setter Jackie Wolfe (Wheaton Warrenville South) plays a valuable role off the bench as a server and back-row specialist.When Haen missed last year's game at Northwestern due to illness, Wolfe stepped in and handed out 37 assists in her first start.bull; Redshirt sophomore setter Annie Luhrsen, Wolfe's teammate at WW South, won 2008 Big East freshman of the year honors at Connecticut before transferring to Illinois. She's viewed as Haen's successor next year.bull; Redshirt freshman outside hitter Jessica Jendryk was a recruiting coup from Benet Academy, but the Wheaton native missed last season due to knee surgery and has appeared in just one match to date.bull; Freshman Courtney Abrahamovich (Naperville Central) walked on as a defensive specialist."There was no conscious effort to recruit one area," Hambly said. "One of the obvious (reasons to do so) is a lot of them played with Sports Performance, one of the top clubs. So they're putting out some great players."And then there's Fusion up there and Sky High. They're three of the best clubs in the country. Obviously, being an Illinois school, it kind of worked out that we get those players."Rise in the rankingsIllinois hasn't won a Big Ten title since 1992 and hasn't reached the Final Four since 1988.After missing the NCAA Tournament from 2005-07 and falling as low as ninth in the league, the Illini have rebounded to make back-to-back trips to the Sweet 16. They also finished second in last year's Big Ten standings.Why does this year's team think it can take things all the way and fulfill their "championship mentality," as DeBruler puts it?A big reason is balance - and there's more than one way to apply that word to these Illini.DeBruler, Ward and 6-3 junior standout Michelle Bartsch from downstate Collinsville play all the way around - and all three put down kills from anywhere on the floor.Middle blockers Johnson and Johannah Bangert keep defenses honest as well."There's a lot of weapons on the court that you've got to worry about," DeBruler said with a laugh. "It makes it difficult for other teams to defend. You know, 'Who's going to get the ball because they all can score?' "In its first big match this year with every player healthy, Illinois proved its potential when it trampled No. 2 Texas in straight sets on the Longhorns' home floor.'Athletic Buddhists'While the win over Penn State in Friday's Big Ten opener may be more significant, here's where Illinois' balance means something different.If there's such a thing as being hyper-competitive and serene at the same time, Hambly has convinced the Illini that's the way to play."Sometimes we call it 'Athletic Buddhists,' " he said, betraying his southern California roots and the late John Wooden's influence on him."Just live in the moment, you know? I'm a pretty mellow guy. I'm not trying to start a cult by any means, but we just want to live moment-to-moment."Similar to Wooden, Hambly doesn't speak of winning and losing. During matches, he believes in allowing his players to apply what they know without being overcoached from the sideline."The Big Ten's so tough, so we have to ride this even line," he explained, adding a Penn State victory doesn't mean much if the Illini crash against Ohio State on Saturday night. "What difference does it make?" he added."I think in this conference and the NCAA Tournament, you have to be steady over time. For us, that's a championship mentality."False12001800Laura DeBruler, from Downers Grove, is a powerful outside hitter for nationally ranked Illinois.Photo courtesy Mark Cowan/University of IllinoisFalse