Illinois not deterred by short run-up to 2024 season

Illinois volleyball will open the 2024 season Aug. 30 in Bowling Green, Ohio, against Cincinnati. Illini coach Chris Tamas and several players were available for the first time in their preseason training on Tuesday morning. Here’s some of what was said, courtesy beat writer Scott Richey:

Feeling ready for season

The usual refrain from volleyball coaches heading into a new season is part lament, part frustration that the first matches of the year come so quickly after preseason practices are allowed. Illinois held its first practice two weeks ago. Its opener is in nine days. And unlike basketball and football that have summer workouts, the first time Chris Tamas got in the gym with this year’s team was that first practice. This year, though, the Illini coach felt ready to go for Cincinnati that opening week.

“I always tell the team I can tell how good we’re going to be by how that first day of practice comes up,” Tamas said. “They did really well that first day of practice, which means they put the work in in the summer. They had their captain’s practices. They stuck around and worked really hard and competed all summer, and they’re ready for the season. We’re ready to go. We’re still always going to iron out kinks and we’re always going to try to figure out what the best lineup is, but this year, honestly, it might be a lot of different lineups we end up seeing.”

‘Go out swinging’

Tamas got approval to add two more roster spots to get Illinois to 18 this season. Depth that has the Illinois coach willing — and certainly more able — to mix and match with his lineup and rotation at least in the run-up to the season. One constant, of course, will be Raina Terry playing as a six-rotation outside hitter. The fifth-year standout, who is coming off consecutive All-Big Ten First-Team caliber seasons in 2022 and 2023, is still the Illini’s go-to offensive weapon. Terry was fourth in total attacks and ninth in total kills nationally last year, and the expectations haven’t changed for the Marengo, Ohio, native.

“I don’t like thinking about it being my last year — sometimes I can get a little emotional — but I’m just going in putting my nose down and getting to work,” Terry said. “It’s my last one, so I’m going to go out swinging. ... I’m not really doing anything special. I’m still just trying to be the best that I can be — the best me I can be. I’m doing it for my teammates, and I think they’re going to help me be the best me because they’re going to give me some good, needed help.”

‘No weekends off’

Illinois finished last season 16-14 overall and tied for sixth in the Big Ten. No NCAA tournament. A year prior, it was a 15-15 record and a seventh-place finish in the Big Ten. No NCAA tournament. The preseason projections heading into this fall don’t deviate much from that point. The Illini were picked to finish 11th in the new 18-team Big Ten, which had five teams ranked in the top 10 on Monday in the AVCA Top 25 preseason poll with seven total teams ranked and four more among others receiving votes. Consecutive seasons not hitting the minimum expectation for the program have lingered in Champaign.

“No weekends off,” Illinois senior libero/defensive specialist Caroline Barnes said about the new-look Big Ten. “It’s good, though, because that’s why we all came here to play. I’m one of the more competitive people on the team, and I live for the competition. We all do. ... I think we’ve been working very hard these past couple years, and, you know, maybe some unfortunate circumstances. I think it would mean a lot to all of us to see how much work we’ve put in finally pay off to be where we rightfully belong in the tournament.”