Cal eliminates Illini from NCAA in round of 16
December 13, 2008 9:00 AM
Milestone year comes to a close
The 2008 season saw a return to the national scene for Illinois volleyball. The Illini won 26 matches and reached the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five seasons. The chance for ninth-seeded Illinois to extend that season a step further was denied by eighth-seeded California in straight sets 25-22, 25-22, 25-22 in the regional semifinal at State College, Pa.
California, who made a run into the Final Four in 2007, used that tournament experience to its advantage late in sets to pull out each one by identical scores. The match figured to be a battle between two hard-swinging outside hitters in Illinois sophomore Laura DeBruler and California junior Hana Cutara, but in the end senior right side hitter Am'ra Solomon was a real difference for the Golden Bears.
fightingillini.com
The 2008 season saw a return to the national scene for Illinois volleyball. The Illini won 26 matches and reached the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five seasons. The chance for ninth-seeded Illinois to extend that season a step further was denied by eighth-seeded California in straight sets 25-22, 25-22, 25-22 in the regional semifinal at State College, Pa.
California, who made a run into the Final Four in 2007, used that tournament experience to its advantage late in sets to pull out each one by identical scores. The match figured to be a battle between two hard-swinging outside hitters in Illinois sophomore Laura DeBruler and California junior Hana Cutara, but in the end senior right side hitter Am'ra Solomon was a real difference for the Golden Bears.
fightingillini.com
2008 Illini Volleyball Thread (Forums) Filed under: California Golden Bears, Illini Volleyball
