Volleyball advances to Sweet 16 after 3-1 win over Cincinnati
December 5, 2010 12:49 AM
Through all the adversity that Illinois has been through in 2010, Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly still insisted that the goals the team set at the beginning of the season were still possible. The eighth-seeded Illini got another step closer to those goals with a four-set 25-17, 25-17, 20-25, 25-21 victory over Cincinnati in round two of the NCAA Tournament Saturday night at Huff Hall.
"We've definitely faced our fair share of adversity," said Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly. "When we reflect on this year that's what we'll think about, how resilient this group was and how tough they were. They showed it tonight by the way they responded to some adversity, both losing that set and then a little bit of a run by Cincinnati. I'm proud of them and they work hard at that, it's not like that comes easy. They have to work hard to fight that battle in their head and be tough. They did a good job of it tonight."
The Illini got another good night from Colleen Ward, who had 27 kills on the night, the fourth most by an Illinois player in an NCAA Tournament match as Illinois avenged an earlier loss to the Bearcats. Illinois, who also got 15 kills from junior right side hitter Michelle Bartsch, defeats Cincinnati in this round for the second time in three seasons.
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"We've definitely faced our fair share of adversity," said Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly. "When we reflect on this year that's what we'll think about, how resilient this group was and how tough they were. They showed it tonight by the way they responded to some adversity, both losing that set and then a little bit of a run by Cincinnati. I'm proud of them and they work hard at that, it's not like that comes easy. They have to work hard to fight that battle in their head and be tough. They did a good job of it tonight."
The Illini got another good night from Colleen Ward, who had 27 kills on the night, the fourth most by an Illinois player in an NCAA Tournament match as Illinois avenged an earlier loss to the Bearcats. Illinois, who also got 15 kills from junior right side hitter Michelle Bartsch, defeats Cincinnati in this round for the second time in three seasons.
fightingillini.com
Filed under: Illini Volleyball
