CHAMPAIGN (WCIA) — The Illinois volleyball schedule is out for this fall and once again it’s highlighted by several marquee match-ups, none bigger than on Sept. 27 when defending national runner-up Nebraska visits Huff Hall. The Cornhuskers knocked off the Illini in five sets in the NCAA Final Four last December, before losing to Stanford in the national championship match in Minneapolis.
“I am excited to see a rematch of last year’s NCAA Final Four match against Nebraska as our opening conference match at home,” Illinois head coach Chris Tamas said in a statement. “I think that will be a tournament style atmosphere on that night. Following that, we have a good mix of home and always this year. There are no breaks in our schedule. The Big Ten is as deep as it has ever been. I am looking forward to battling with this team and seeing where the journey takes us. It will allow us to learn a lot of lessons along the way and force us to learn them quickly. I am excited to start training August 10th in preparation for this season.”
Illinois will play 29 matches, starting on Aug. 30 at Tennessee. The Vols will then play in Champaign two days later in the team’s home opener on Sept. 1. That’s one of 11 matches at Huff Hall, plus the Orange and Blue Scrimmage. Overall, the Illini will face 13 teams that made the NCAA tournament last season, including seven that made it to at least the Sweet 16.
“I think you always have to schedule tough,” said Tamas. “We will always get that with our Big Ten Conference schedule, but I am pleased we were able to get a tough non-conference schedule as well. As a sport, we need to get away from the idea of playing two matches in a day. If played right, our sport is very difficult and demanding. I wanted to make sure our non-conference reflected the challenges we will see in conference. All but one of our non-conference opponents made the tournament last season. You hope that will pay its dividends when it comes to RPI and the potential hosting implications it holds. I want Huff Hall rocking in December again. That place is electric. Of course, we have to get there first. The conference schedule is demanding as ever and fans will enjoy matches against top quality Big Ten opponents throughout the season.”
| at Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn. August 30 // 7 p.m. | |
| Tennessee Huff Hall // Champaign, Ill. September 1 // 1 p.m. | |
| B1G/Pac12 Challenge | Hosted by Iowa at Iowa City, Iowa. // September 6-7· September 6 vs. Washington // 4 p.m.· September 7 vs. Colorado // 4 p.m. | |
| Redbird Classic | Hosted by Illinois State at Normal, Ill. // September 13-14· September 13 at Illinois State // 7 p.m.· September 14 vs. UCF // 10 a.m.· September 14 vs. Marquette // 7:30 p.m. | |
| Bulldog Brawl | Hosted by Butler at Indianapolis, Ind. // September 20-21· September 20 vs. Pacific // 11 a.m.· September 21 vs. Loyola Marymount // 8 a.m. | |
| Nebraska Huff Hall // Champaign, Ill. September 27 // 7 p.m. | |
| Iowa Huff Hall // Champaign, Ill. September 28 // 7 p.m. | |
| at Indiana Wilkinson Hall // Bloomington, Ind. October 4 // 6 p.m. | |
| at Purdue Holloway Gymnasium // West Lafayette, Ind. October 5 // 2 p.m. | |
| Minnesota Huff Hall // Champaign, Ill. October 9 // 7 p.m. | |
| Indiana Huff Hall // Champaign, Ill. October 12 // 7 p.m. | |
at Wisconsin UW Fieldhouse // Madison, Wis. October 18 // 7 p.m. | |
at Minnesota Maturi Pavilion // Minnesota, Minn. October 19 // TBA | |
at Penn State Rec Hall // University Park, Pa. October 23 // TBA | |
| Ohio State Huff Hall // Champaign, Ill. October 26 // 7 p.m. | |
| Michigan Huff Hall // Champaign, Ill. November 1 // 7 p.m. | |
| Michigan State Huff Hall // Champaign, Ill. November 2 // 7 p.m. | |
| at Iowa Carver-Hawkeye Arena // Iowa City, Iowa November 6 // 7 p.m. | |
| at Michigan Cliff Keen Arena // Ann Arbor, Mich. November 9 // TBA | |
| Penn State Huff Hall // Champaign, Ill. November 15 // 7 p.m. | |
| Rutgers Huff Hall // Champaign, Ill. November 16 // 7 p.m. | |
| at Maryland XFINITY Center // College Park, Md. November 22 // TBA | |
at Ohio State Covelli Center // Colmbus, Ohio November 23 // TBA | |
| Northwestern Huff Hall // Champaign, Ill. November 27 // 7 p.m. | |
| Northwestern Welsh-Ryan Arena // Evanston, Ill. November 30 // TBA | |
| NCAA Tournament· NCAA First & Second Rounds // December 5-7 // Campus Sites· NCAA Regionals // December 13-14 // Campus Sites· NCAA Semifinals // Dec. 19 // PPG Paints Arena // Pittsburgh, Pa.· NCAA Championship // Dec. 21 // PPG Paints Arena // Pittsburgh, Pa |