Ask the expert: Can the volleyball team win the Big Ten title?

By Jeff Huth

Sunday, October 18, 2009 11:18 PM CDT

Q: What are the Illini volleyball team's chances of winning a Big Ten title this year?

A: Before this past weekend, I would have said none. And that's no reflection on No. 10 Illinois, which has won five in a row and is coming off a statement-making 3-0 sweep of No. 6 Minnesota. It was more a recognition that No. 1 and undefeated Penn State appeared to be in a league of its own, with everyone else playing for second place. Then No. 11 Michigan threw a mighty scare into the Nittany Lions on Friday night, taking a 2-1 lead into the fourth set before losing in five. It showed that Penn State, for all its firepower, just might be vulnerable. Realistically, the best an Illini team with two league losses can hope for at this point is a co-title. That would mean Illinois winning out - including a Nov. 13 date at Penn State - and getting help (Michigan? Minnesota?) on a second Nittany Lions' loss. So let's answer this way: Improbable but not impossible.

Comments

As long as Penn State is in the conference its never going to happen.

2nd place and top 10 in the country is the best to hope for every year.

Posted by dave1956 on October 19, 2009 at 1:24 AM | Suggest Removal

It's not going to happen this year, but I wouldn't put anything past Hambly. I could definitely see him as the guy who knocks Russ Rose off his pedestal. He's driven, smart, and is a phenomenal recruiter. He's been building this team behind the scenes for the last few years, and he will not settle for second for long.

Posted by formermi on October 19, 2009 at 12:40 PM | Suggest Removal

After some frustrating losses, Russ Rose finally won the Big Ten's first NCAA championship in 1999 but then had a string of teams that underachieved in the NCAA tournament. During that period of Nittany Lion frustration, Mike Hebert's Minnesota Golden Gophers were the Big Ten's best NCAA tournament team. Finally, when Russ's recruiting picked up a notch, the current streak began.

There is no reason to believe Penn State's streak will go on indefinitely either at the national or at the conference level... Stanford, the last team to go on as long a Final Four run as this Penn State team, began to slowly decline in 1998 and now occupy an evolutionary niche more like Paul Brown's Cleveland Browns... they make it to many championship games but lose more than they win.

Posted by jgrout on October 27, 2009 at 7:34 PM | Suggest Removal

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