Illini volleyball targets Penn State

Can the Illinois women's volleyball team be giant slayers again?

In September, the ninth-ranked Illini pulled off quite a feat when they beat perennial power Penn State in a five-set thriller at Huff Hall in Champaign. The Illinois victory ended a mind-boggling 65-match Big Ten winning streak for Penn State that dated all the way to Nov. 8, 2006.

Now, the Illini are looking to get another monumental win over Penn State.

Illinois will be in State College, Pa., today to take on the Lady Lions in the season series finale between the Big Ten's top teams. The match will be televised live at 5 p.m. by the Big Ten Network.

The oversized challenge for the Illini this time will be to conquer their road woes in Pennsylvania. They are just 1-19 all time at Penn State and got their lone victory there in 1995.

But even more important, Illinois also needs to get a victory to keep its lead over Penn State in the Big Ten standings.

Illinois (20-4 overall) entered the weekend with a 12-2 record in league play, good for a 1-game lead over Penn State (11-3 Big Ten). There are just six matches and three weeks remaining in the regular season, which means Illinois would be in the driver's seat in the race for the conference title with a victory.

Two local kids will need to come up big for the Illini.

Junior Colleen Ward out of Naperville North ranks second in the Big Ten in kills with 3.95 per game (set). She had a team-high 16 kills against Penn State the first time around.

Ward gets set up by senior setter Hillary Haen, a former standout at Prairie Ridge. Haen leads the Big Ten in assists with 11.4 per game.

Caught Cat-napping:

Illinois didn't exactly have a great tune-up for its showdown with Penn State.

On Nov. 5, the Illini, in the midst of a seven-game winning streak, were knocked off track by No. 24 Northwestern in Evanston.

The Wildcats looked impressive in a sweeping 25-22, 25-23, 25-20 victory, keyed by the explosive hitting of Naomi Johnson (14 kills) and Sabel Moffett (12 kills). Neither Johnson nor Moffett had a hitting error.

“It's only our fourth loss, so we're not freaking out right now,” Illinois coach Kevin Hambly said after the game. “Take nothing away from Northwestern. They played great. They were better than us tonight.”

Northwestern is 17-8 on the season and 7-7 in the rugged Big Ten, which features five teams ranked in the Top 25 nationally. Besides Illinois, Northwestern and Penn State, which is ranked No. 8, Michigan is ranked No. 16 and Minnesota is ranked No. 22.

Northwestern setter Elyse Glab, a senior out of Chicago's Resurrection High School, ranks second in the Big Ten in assists behind Haen with 11.24 per game.

The Wildcats are making a swing through Indiana this weekend with games at Purdue and Indiana.

Tourney time

The Illinois women's soccer team made the NCAA Tournament with a 13-4-1 overall record and a 6-3-1 mark in the Big Ten.

The field was set Monday and sent the Illini to South Bend, where perennial power Notre Dame is hosting a regional that also includes Southern California and New Mexico.

Illinois, which is led in scoring by freshman Vanessa DiBernardo, a midfielder out of Waubonsie Valley, was scheduled to take on USC on Friday. The winner will take on the winner of the Notre Dame-New Mexico game on Sunday.

Facing Notre Dame will be a challenge for any of the other three teams in the field. The Irish are 15-2-2 and won the Big East. They're also tournament savvy. Notre Dame, which won national championships in 1995 and 2004, had a near miss last year, losing to perennial power North Carolina in the national semifinal, 1-0.

Although not quite as glamorous, Illinois has a few NCAA Tournament credentials of its own.

The Illini are making their ninth NCAA Tournament appearance and their seventh in eight seasons. They had their best showing in 2004 when they advanced to the quarterfinals.

DiBernardo is hoping to help Illinois to its best showing yet. She ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten in points (27) and goals (11).

Five other teams from the Big Ten made the NCAA field, including Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin.

pbabcock@dailyherald.com