Illinois volleyball seeks entry into elite group

"It's hard to get into that group,'' said Illinois coach Kevin Hambly. "If we can get back to the Final Four, that would mean a lot to the program. We kind of thought next year would be our year. We have to play well this weekend, but we have a chance.''

Two wins from the Final Four, Illinois (26-5) meets Hawaii (29-2) in a Stanford Regional semifinal Friday. The winner faces the Stanford-Michigan winner Saturday. The Illini were seeded fifth overall with Hawaii 12th. Stanford is fourth-seeded with Michigan at 13th.

Supinie