Illini Insider

Staff writer Jeff Huth's review and preview of all things Illinois

One to watch

MEN'S TENNIS

Alumni Reunion

6 p.m. Friday

The last time Illini fans saw Ryler DeHeart, he was taking on the No. 1 player in the world in the No. 1 tennis venue in the United States – Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

Here's your chance to applaud the two-time All-American on his surprising run to the second round of the U.S. Open. DeHeart, who received major TV exposure last week before and during his match against Rafael Nadal, is scheduled to be among at least 15 ex-Illini who plan to return to Atkins Tennis Center for UI tennis' annual reunion. Although there won't be any court time, there promises to be plenty of story-swapping and reminiscing. And the public is invited to join in.

"Since it's (scheduled) outside of our playing season, we won't have an alumni match," UI coach Brad Dancer said. "But we're certainly looking forward to having a lot of our former players back ... and just having a tremendous social weekend."

Other ex-Illini expected to return include Rajeev Ram (ranked No. 52 in the world in doubles) and Chris Martin. Kevin Anderson will be unable to attend because of a commitment to South Africa's Davis Cup team, which next plays Sept. 19-21 in Monaco in a Europe/Africa Zone Group II semifinal match.

DeHeart's presence is sure to generate a buzz. The three-time All-Big Ten selection advanced through qualifying at the U.S. Open, then knocked off No. 68 Olivier Rochus in the first round of the main draw to set up a prime-time meeting against Nadal. Although DeHeart fell in straight sets, he fought back from a stumbling start to press Nadal in the third set, taking a 3-0 lead before losing 6-4.

"As much as he was getting killed (early), I felt Ryler was in the right frame of mind to be competitive, and I think that came through in the end," said Dancer, who watched the match courtside. "It would have been pretty easy for Ryler to think 'I've got to get off this court in a hurry.' But I think Ryler responded. The thing that stood out is what a great competitor he is and how much he enjoyed it."

Illini of the Week

Laura DeBruler

Volleyball

In 2007, she was the most prolific freshman hitter in NCAA Division I volleyball. Now the sophomore outside hitter is picking up where she left off. In the season-opening State Farm Illini Classic last weekend at Huff Hall, DeBruler belted 65 kills while hitting .302 to lead Illinois to a 3-0 record and the tournament title.

DeBruler was at her best against the best. She drilled 20 kills against then-No. 23 New Mexico State and followed with a career-high-tying 31 versus No. 11 Oregon. In the five-set victory against the Ducks, DeBruler was at the center of an Illini comeback after the team was blown out in the first two sets. She racked up 22 of her 31 kills in the final three sets.

"There's no denying Laura put some exclamation points on some of those kills," Illinois coach Don Hardin said.

But DeBruler contributed far more than a strong right-handed swing. She recorded double-doubles in kills and digs in each match, finishing with 38 digs. And she contributed 11 blocks. Little wonder DeBruler was selected tournament MVP, Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week, and national Player of the Week by two organizations.

"This was a very strong (tournament) field," Hardin said the day after the Illini Classic. "To get the MVP award was something special."

Reunion II

Another reunion of sorts will take place this weekend in St. Louis. When the No. 19 Illini volleyball team takes on the host team in the Billiken Invitational, it will mark the first regular season meeting between Hardin and former assistant Anne Kordes.

Kordes, in her fifth season as St. Louis' head coach, worked on Hardin's staff from 1999 to 2003. During that span, Illinois qualified for the NCAA tournament three times and compiled a 90-61 record.

Although the teams occasionally have squared off in spring tournaments since Kordes moved to St. Louis, Friday's 7 p.m. match clearly carries a different feel.

"I'm absolutely thrilled, obviously," Kordes said. "I'm excited to get to play against them. I've always said I've been very lucky in my life to be coached by and work with great coaches. And there's no question nobody has been more instrumental in my coaching career as far as being a mentor than Don.

"There's no question he put me in a position to be ready (to be a head coach). The years I spent with him was an amazing experience, both personally and professionally, and I do love him like family."

The two programs had discussed scheduling a match for several years. When it became reality, Kordes ensured it would be a special atmosphere by also landing perennial power Stanford for her tournament. The Illini (3-0) will face the No. 3 Cardinal (1-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday.

"It's a situation where we're hosting one of the premier (preconference) tournaments in the country," Kordes said. "It was something I wanted to do for our volleyball community. We have great fans here who are intense about volleyball."

Those fans have responded. Demand for tickets was so strong that the tournament was moved to 10,600-seat Chaifetz Arena from the Billikens' usual home court – 800-seat Chaifetz Pavilion.

The arrow continues to point up for Kordes' team, too. A year after going 23-7, St. Louis is off to a 3-0 start and received votes in the CBS College Sports/AVCA Top 25 poll for the first time in Kordes' coaching tenure at the school.

"We're very excited about that," said Kordes, whose career record is 77-39. "It seems like everything we're doing here is for the first time because when we took over the program was at such a low level. Every year we get better because of recruiting and training."

On the defensive

The No. 15 Illini women's soccer team is off to its first 3-0 start since 2004. One key reason is the play of a reconstructed and largely inexperienced defense that was a major question mark entering the season. Although Illinois had to replace two of its four starting defenders as well as its goalkeeper, Janet Rayfield's team has yielded two goals so far. In fact, the Illini have held three opponents to four shots on goal.

Those numbers are all the more remarkable because the Illini played their first two matches without starting defender and Canadian Olympian Emily Zurrer. Still, Rayfield considers her defense a work in progress as defenders like freshmen Julie Ewing and Caitlin Dombart continue to absorb the defensive system.

"The freshmen are some days right on target and some days a step still behind," Rayfield said. "(Monday) was the first full training session with Emily in the mix. It is still a work in progress, but we expected it to be a work in progress."

The Illini travel to Knoxville, Tenn., this weekend for the Lady Vol Classic. Illinois faces Washington State at 4:30 p.m. Friday and No. 20 Tennessee at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Tryout trio

It's a late-summer rite of Illini baseball. Each Labor Day, coach Dan Hartleb and his staff hold open tryouts. And each Labor Day, college baseball wannabes show up at Illinois Field to try to prove they belong.

This year, three hopefuls made the first cut. The UI coaching staff saw enough from Doug Schumacher, John Anderson and Tom Shelton to invite them to join the team for fall drills. If any of the three continue to impress, they'll make the Illini spring roster.

It's an exercise that has paid off for Illinois. Last year, relief pitcher Wes Braun made the team through this process and ended up making 13 appearances in 2008. On Labor Day 2006, Mike Sterk made the tryout cut and emerged last season as one of the Illini's most dependable pitchers, going 2-1 with a 4.88 ERA in 20 appearances.

Schumaker is a right-handed-hitting corner infielder/outfielder from Chicago Brother Rice. Anderson is a right-hander pitcher from Mount Vernon. Shelton is a left-handed-hitting catcher from Tennessee.

The number
17 — Laura DeBruler’s career matches with 20 or more kills, including two this season. The sophomore outside hitter ranks fifth on the all-time Illini list.

The list

After three matches, the undefeated Illini women’s soccer team has a 0.67 goals-against average. The top five GAAs in program history, all accomplished in the last five seasons:
GAA    YEAR    RECORD
0.53    2003    16-4-2
0.85    2004    16-6-2
0.97    2007    12-7-2
1.03    2006    16-8-0
1.04    2005    12-7-3

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