Jeff Huth's review and preview of Illinois sports
Three Illini events to keep an eye on this weekend:
SOCCER
3 p.m. Friday at Purdue
In five previous trips to West Lafayette, Ind., the Illini have yet to win, going 0-3-2 on the Boilermakers' turf. Ending that streak against the Big Ten's highest-ranked team won't be easy. No. 12 Purdue (6-2-2) is averaging 2.30 goals per match – tied for second in the conference – while limiting opponents to 1.10. Senior forward Jessica Okoroafo, who ranks third in the Big Ten in points per match, needs to be a focal point of the Illini defense. On offense, Illinois will face the Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Week in senior goalkeeper Jenny Bradfisch, who permitted one goal last weekend as Purdue opened the league race 1-0-1. Illinois (5-3-2) will play its second Big Ten match after tying Minnesota 2-2 on Sunday. Illini junior forward Jordan Hilbrands is tied with Okoroafo for fourth place in the Big Ten in goals scored (six).
VOLLEYBALL
6 p.m. Saturday at Michigan
It's another marquee matchup on a Saturday night for No. 12 Illinois. A week after hosting No. 1 Penn State in front of the Big Ten Network's cameras, the Illini (9-2) hit the road to face the league's second-highest-ranked team: the No. 8 Wolverines (14-1). That ranking ties Michigan's highest ever. After one weekend of the Big Ten race, the Wolverines are one of three teams without a loss, although they dodged a bullet in their last match by overcoming a 2-1 deficit at Purdue to win in five sets. This matchup features two of the Big Ten's top four hitters. Illini junior Laura DeBruler ranks fourth nationally in kills (5.53), and Michigan's Juliana Paz (4.30) is 18th nationally. Illinois (1-1 Big Ten) begins its first road trip of the league race at No. 23 Michigan State on Friday. The Spartans hadn't lost a match this year until last weekend, when they fell at Purdue and Indiana.
CROSS-COUNTRY
At Wisconsin Inter-Regional
Both Illini teams are entered in the inaugural Wisconsin adidas Invitational on Saturday at Madison. The meet isn't the only thing that's new. Before the first race, the host Badgers will cut the ceremonial ribbon on their new Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross-Country Course. The festival-style event also includes an alumni run and meets for the state's top high school boys' and girls' teams. At No. 10, the Illini women are the highest-ranked team in their race. The meet figures to be a good measuring stick for coach Jeremy Rasmussen's team because the field includes No. 11 Georgetown, No. 17 Michigan and five other ranked teams. Sophomore Kristin Sutherland – the UI's No. 3 runner at the 2008 NCAA Championships – will make her season debut, Rasmussen said. The Illini men enter their third – and by far most challenging – meet of the season ranked No. 8 in the Midwest Region. They'll be joined by seven nationally ranked teams, including No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 10 Georgetown and No. 12 Brigham Young. The men's 8-kilometer race starts at 11 a.m., with the women's 5K scheduled for 11:45 a.m.
ILLINI OF THE WEEK
Michelle Bartsch
Volleyball
While most of her teammates struggled mightily in a three-set loss to No. 1 Penn State on Saturday night, this Illini sophomore looked right at home on the court with the two-time defending NCAA champions. Bartsch produced a match-high 16 kills and hit .343 against a Nittany Lions team that had held its first 13 opponents to a minuscule .056 hitting percentage. "Michelle Bartsch is a special player and is starting to show it," UI coach Kevin Hambly said afterward. "She played at Penn State's level for much of the night." The performance capped a strong weekend by the 6-foot-3 right-side hitter, who belted a match-high 17 kills and hit .308 one night earlier in a four-set win against Ohio State.
NEWS & VIEWS
Bronze medalist
Former Illini catcher Chris Robinson and his Team Canada teammates brought home a bronze medal from the International Baseball Federation World Cup in Italy.
Robinson was behind the plate when Canada beat Puerto Rico 6-2 on Saturday in the third-place game at Grosseto, Italy. The Chicago Cubs minor leaguer went 1 for 5 in the medal-clincher and hit .385 (5 for 13) while playing in three of Canada's five games in the third and final round of the tournament.
The third-place finish was Canada's highest in an international tournament since it won the bronze medal at the 1999 Pan-American Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Leatherneck link
The father of Illini freshman baseball player Davis Hendrickson was named acting head football coach at Western Illinois on Sept. 25. Mark Hendrickson succeeds Don Patterson, who stepped down for health reasons. Patterson was diagnosed in July 2008 with tonsillar cancer.
"Battling cancer and its subsequent treatments have taken a huge toll on me physically," Patterson said in a statement. "Even though my last checkup revealed that I am cancer free, the lingering effects of radiation and chemotherapy have impacted me more than expected."
Mark Hendrickson, in his 10th year on the Leathernecks' staff, was the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator under Patterson. He also served as WIU's acting head coach for the first seven games of the 2008 season while Patterson underwent cancer treatments.
The Leathernecks, who did not have a game last weekend, host Southern Illinois on Saturday.
Davis Hendrickson is a left-handed hitting and throwing outfielder from Macomb High School. The 2009 Class 1A/2A all-stater hit .432 and stole 35 bases as a senior.
Second chance
Yes, it was ugly Saturday night at Huff Hall, when the Illini volleyball team took its lumps against No. 1 Penn State. Winners of their previous seven matches, the Illini had to come away from their meeting with the two-time defending national champions feeling like they hadn't come near to playing up to their potential for most of a 25-11, 25-17, 25-17 beatdown. It wasn't until late in the second set that Illinois began putting up much of a fight, a development that carried over into a third set that was more competitive than the final score suggests. Keep in mind, however, that one of the benefits of Big Ten volleyball's double round-robin schedule is that it gives teams in these situations a chance to redeem themselves. The Illini get another crack at the Nittany Lions on Nov. 13 in State College, Pa. The telling point, of course, will be what Illinois does with that second-chance opportunity.
EDDLEMAN AWARD WATCH
Each week we'll rank our top three candidates for the 2009-10 Dike Eddleman Award, which annually goes to the top male and female athletes at the University of Illinois.
MALE
1. Scott Langley, golf. Junior stands No. 12 in Golfweek/Sagarin national ratings.
2. Dennis Nevolo, tennis. Soph, No. 24 nationally, has 58 singles/doubles wins in UI career.
3. Clay Nurse, football. Junior defensive end leads team with 3 1/2 tackles for loss.
FEMALE
1. Michelle Bartsch, volleyball. Sophomore continues to elevate game in all phases.
2. Jordan Hilbrands, soccer. Assist vs. Minnesota gave junior team-high 13 points.
3. Rachael White, tennis. Freshman defeated two ranked foes in first college tourney.
THE LIST
The second-largest home crowd in Illini soccer history watched Janet Rayfield's team and Minnesota battle to a 2-2 tie Sunday at the Illinois Soccer and Track Stadium. The all-time top five attendance figures:
ATTENDANCE OPPONENT DATE
2,667 Penn State Oct. 1, 2006
2,347 Minnesota Sept. 27, 2009
2,036 Michigan Oct. 5, 2008
1,560 Indiana Oct. 19, 2007
1,264 Florida Sept. 14, 2007
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