Big Ten volleyball holds court
The Big Ten Conference is a serious national player in many sports.
But perhaps nowhere more serious than in volleyball.
This week, seven Big Ten teams were ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 poll, led by Illinois at No. 3.
Four-time defending national champion Penn State is right behind at No. 5, Minnesota is No. 9 and Big Ten newbie Nebraska is No. 10.
Purdue (No. 13), Michigan (No. 18) and Ohio State (No. 24) are also ranked nationally.
The Illini, who are 11-0 and one of only five undefeated teams in the country, opened up Big Ten play Friday against Minnesota, its first of many grueling tests.
“Everything steps up a little bit (for Big Ten play). The energy level kind of picks up in practice, the intensity level picks up,” said Illini coach Kevin Hambly. “The Big Ten is going to be brutal. The teams that are unranked are just as dangerous as the ones that are ranked. It might be tougher to win the Big Ten than to make a run in the (NCAA) tournament.”
Illinois, which has advanced to three straight Sweet 16s, will certainly contribute to the Big Ten treachery with a cast of talented veterans and promising newcomers.
The four-player freshman class, which includes 6-foot-6 outside hitter Liz McMahon, the highest rated (No. 3 nationally) individual recruit in program history, was ranked the third-best class in the nation by prepvolleyball.com.
That’s the highest ranking ever for an Illinois recruiting class.
Illinois boasts two of the best returning players in the Big Ten in seniors Michelle Bartsch and Colleen Ward, both All-Americans in 2010.
Bartsch, a 6-foot-3 outside hitter, has been named the most valuable player of three tournaments this season — and she was the Big Ten player of the week earlier this month. She leads the Illini in kills with 4.05 per set and ranks eighth the Illini’s all-time kills list.
Ward, a senior outside hitter from Naperville North, ranks second on the team in kills at 3.49 per set.
“We’ve been working hard in the off-season about being determined to find a way to win,” Bartsch said. “We need to get better at executing. We’re saying the right things and talking about the right things, but it takes awhile to actually execute it. I think we’re learning how to do that now.”
Caught on:It took 10 years, but former Stevenson star Tamika Catchings got her due.The Indiana Fever forward was named the WNBA#146;s most valuable player Thursday. After finishing among the top three finalists five times and the top five eight times, it was the first time in her illustrious career that she actually walked away with the award.I love this quote from Kelly Krauskopf, the general manager of the Fever.#147;I just got big tears in my eyes,#148; Krauskopf said. #147;I was so happy and thrilled for Tamika. It#146;s not just about scoring. It#146;s the way she affects a game, how she affects the outcome and all the winning seasons we#146;ve had. I never gave up hope that at some point the media and the folks who voted on this would see the effect she has.#148;Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles finished second in the balloting and Sky center Sylvia Fowles, who likely would have won the award had her team made the playoffs, was third.Catch Catchings, who is now on a mission to win her first WNBA championship, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday (2 p.m., ESPN2). The Fever owns a 1-0 lead over the Atlanta Dream.In the West, the Minnesota Lynx is up 1-0 over the Phoenix Mercury. Game 2 of that series can be seen immediately after the Fever-Dream game on Sunday on ESPN2.Another award:Congrats to Sky rookie guard Courtney Vandersloot, who was named to the WNBA#146;s five-player all-rookie team last week.pbabcock@dailyherald.com