Jeff Huth's Illini Insider

One to watch

WOMEN'S TENNIS

Midwest Blast

Friday-Sunday at Atkins Tennis Center

It's taken the entire fall, but the Illinois women's tennis team finally won't need to leave campus to play a match. In their first home dates since April 20, the Illini will host Notre Dame, Denver and Wichita State this weekend.

"We're just looking forward to playing at home," UI coach Michelle Dasso said. "I think the girls are excited about that and just capping off the fall on a high note."

Because NCAA rules restrict dual meets to the spring season, the Midwest Blast schedule will be a variation of the dual format. For example, the Illini and Denver will square off in doubles Friday, then meet in singles Saturday.

Dasso anticipates some high-quality tennis. In the final national poll last season, Notre Dame was 20th, Denver 29th and Illinois 37th. (The first team rankings for this school year won't be released until January).

"It should be good competition," Dasso said.

That's even with the Irish missing Kelcy Tefft and Kristy Frilling, who qualified for this week's ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. "They have great depth," Dasso said.

With this tournament the last of the fall for Illinois, Dasso is eager for her players to make the most of their court time. That's particularly true for the top of her lineup. Megan Fudge and Leigh Finnegan each have played three singles matches this season, in part because of quick 0-1 singles exits from the ITA All-American Championships.

"The main thing is getting more matches," Dasso said. "More match experience."

Illini of the Week

ASHLEY EDINGER

Volleyball

She's the all-time career digs leader in Illini history. And she's far from done. The junior libero still has the rest of this season and 2009 to pad her total of 1,442.

"For Ashley to break that (record) with more than a year left in her career, it's an amazing accomplishment," UI coach Don Hardin said. "Even more fascinating is trying to project how high she will raise the bar. One has to wonder how high she'll set it."

While notching 24 digs Saturday against Ohio State, Edinger broke Tracey Marshall's school record of 1,426.

"When it happened, I wasn't thinking too much about it," the repeat Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week said. "I was more worried about ... Ohio State. Now that it's happened, I think it's pretty cool that I got it as a junior and still have time and hopefully set it high enough to keep it forever."

According to updated records from the Big Ten office, Edinger has moved within 130 digs of breaking into the league's career top 10. In the process, Hardin says, the third-year starter is playing the best volleyball of her career.

"This year, she's playing on a par with anyone in the country that I've seen," he said.

Said Edinger: "That's pretty nice to hear. I've been working really hard, and I guess the hard work is paying off."

Because of rules changes through the years – particularly the switch from sideout to rally scoring – comparing statistics and records has become increasingly difficult. Hardin notes that although Marshall (1996-99) played in the sideout era – when the format created more opportunities to compile stats of all kinds – the outside hitter also played in the front row half the time. Thus, Marshall had fewer chances to dig the ball than a back-row specialist like a libero.

"Credit due to Tracey Marshall," Hardin said. "It was quite an amazing record that she held."

Hardin isn't surprised that record now belongs to Edinger, who has earned it as much with determination as with skill, he said.

"She gives an all-out effort all the time," Hardin said. "She can't help not going for a ball. What fans see on the court in the match, she would be that way if it were just two people in the gym. It makes it really hard in the gym (for teammates) to let a ball go to the floor uncontested. It sets a standard in practice and in the matches."

Bumpy road ahead?

There's little doubt the marquee match on the Illini volleyball schedule this weekend is in Minneapolis. When Illinois visits Minnesota at 7 p.m. Saturday, it will be a matchup of ranked teams and a rematch of that titanic defensive struggle Oct. 3 at Huff Hall – a battle the Gophers pulled out in five sets.

But here's something to ponder as No. 16 Illinois (17-5, 9-3 Big Ten) awaits its trip to Minnesota (18-6, 8-4): one night earlier, Hardin's team must visit an Iowa squad that is 7-1 on its own court. The one blemish? Against No. 1 and undefeated Penn State.

"Iowa has been tough for everyone in their place," Hardin said.

Expect to hear similar sentiments from the Illinois coach the remainder of the Big Ten race.

Winners of five in a row and eight of their last nine, the Illini enter their final eight league matches in second place and the hottest team in the Big Ten this side of Penn State. But this stretch run figures to put Illinois to the acid test. Five of those matches are on the road, including visits to No. 18 Purdue, to a Wisconsin team that until this week was nationally ranked, and to a Northwestern squad that won last month at Huff Hall.

"This next stretch really has us concerned," said Hardin, whose team also is due a visit from Penn State. "We've got a tough swing on the road, especially when you look at the rankings and the teams right with us (in the standings). I think the first half (of the Big Ten schedule) was a little friendlier for us."

That said, Hardin is looking forward to seeing how his team responds. Barring a collapse, the Illini are a lock for their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2004. And they're looking more and more like a team that should receive strong consideration from the NCAA to host first- and second-round matches in the tournament.

But should Illinois not open the NCAAs at home, a road-heavy stretch run that begins this weekend could pay dividends in the postseason.

"Either way, It looks like we're a favorite for the NCAA," Hardin said. "These matches are preparing us better and better for what we'll face in the tournament."

Bound for France

Dasso was selected to help coach a U.S. collegiate team that will compete in an international tournament next month in France.

She'll join Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's coach Paul Settles and a six-player squad in Poitiers, France, for the International University Challenge of Tennis. The third annual event runs Dec. 4-7, when her Illini are scheduled to be on a break from training.

"It's definitely an honor," Dasso said. "I'm excited about the opportunity. This is the first time I've gone abroad and worked with top Americans, so I was excited to be chosen."

The U.S. entry is a joint venture of the U.S. Tennis Association and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).

Dasso was notified of her selection by former Michigan State women's coach Erica Perkins, now the manager of junior and collegiate competition for the USTA.

"(Perkins) asked me to apply," Dasso said. "I didn't think I'd really get selected."

The U.S. squad will be joined by teams from seven other nations. The tournament pits the field in a best-of-seven format, with each nation playing two men's and two women's singles matches, one men's and one women's doubles match, and one mixed doubles match.

Dasso said the U.S. team will have time for one day of practice before the event starts. She expects her coaching to be limited to occasional bits of advice during matches.

"I'm going to be calling their (college) coaches, check in and see what they're working on," Dasso said. "But there's not going to be me changing stuff (in their games)."

The name game

They share the same last name and are distantly related. That was more than enough reason for Jonathan Zobrist of the UI sports information office to root for the Tampa Bay Rays – and Ben Zobrist – during the team's march to the World Series.

Jonathan Zobrist is a third cousin of the Rays utility player, who is a native of Eureka and a third-year major leaguer. Their grandfathers were first cousins.

"As far as a relationship, our families did not do anything together growing up, so I really don't know him at all," said Jonathan, a native of Washington, Ill. "Of course, we were all excited when he made it to the major leagues and have followed him."

Their fathers do stay in touch. In fact, Jonathan's father, Larry, accompanied Tom Zobrist last season to watch Ben's first trip to Chicago to play the White Sox.

Ben Zobrist can count on Jonathan being a fan of whichever team he plays for, but the UI employee says his first allegiance always will be to his lifelong favorite: the Chicago Cubs.

"Begrudgingly," Jonathan added, "after this past postseason."

The list

On Sunday, junior Angela Bizzarri became the first Illini women's cross-country runner to earn All-Big Ten first-team honors (top seven) for a third time. Since the award began in 1984, nine Illini have been all-conference first-teamers at least once:

NAME YEAR(S)

Angela Bizzarri 2006-07-08

Cassie Hunt 2004-05

Kelly McNee 1984

Melissa Straza 1987

Laura Simmering 1991

Cecelia Williams 2000

Jaime Turilli 2004

Stephanie Simms 2005

Katie Engel 2008

The number

1998

The last year an Illini volleyball team, like the current edition, had nine wins in its first 12 Big Ten matches.

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