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What to watch

Illini events to keep an eye on this weekend:

CROSS-COUNTRY

Illini Challenge

Friday at UI Arboretum

The Illini men's and women's teams will open their seasons with the first of two home meets on the 2010 calendar. The 4-kilometer women's race starts at 5 p.m., followed by the 6K men's meet at 5:30. The five-team field includes Butler, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Danville Area Community College and the UI club team.

It's the post-Angela Bizzarri era for the Illini women, although the 2009 NCAA champion isn't the only missing piece from a program that has finished in the top 12 at the NCAA Championships each of the last five years. After losing six other letter winners as well from last year's team, the Illini did not receive a vote in the coaches' preseason Top 30 poll. "We did lose a lot of people so we have to go prove ourselves," UI coach Jeremy Rasmussen said. "By the end of year I think we've got a good shot at being back in the national meet, which is the top 31 teams. But right now, do we deserve to be ranked? No."

The Illini return three of the seven runners who competed at the 2009 NCAA Championships: junior Kristin Sutherland and seniors Chantelle Groenewoud and Ashley Thompson. The first two placed among Illinois' top four finishers at nationals each of the last two years and will be counted on to lead a revamped lineup lacking Bizzarri's star power. "There's no way we're going to be able to replace Angela," Rasmussen said. "It is a pretty new team out there, although we do have some faces who were part of that (perennial NCAA qualifying) group. I don't want to say we're starting over, because we're not. We'll go back to the drawing board and continue to get better."

Rasmussen expects immediate help from Baylor transfer Stephanie Morgan, who was an All-South Central Region runner as a freshman last year. He's also high on the potential of sophomore Madeline Aufmann, who qualified last spring qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Round of Championship in the 3,000 steeplechase. Rasmussen won't enter any of his top-tier runners in this season opener, but most or all should run Sept. 10 in a meet at Indiana State.

In contrast to the UI women, the Illini men field a highly experienced roster, many of whom were thrown into competitive fires as freshmen "because of the lack of depth we had back then," UI coach Wendel McRaven said. "They probably took some knocks along the way, but we felt they made some progress last year and then made some really nice progress in track."

The top returnee is junior Colin Mickow, an All-Midwest Region runner who missed qualifying for nationals by 1.6 seconds. In track, Mickow placed third in the Big Ten 10,000 and earned the silver medal in that event at the NACAC Under-23 Championships.

All six of Illinois' entrants on last year's 10th-place Midwest Regional team return.

"We feel like overall we've got so many pieces to the puzzle," McRaven said. "The number one thing is, let's get to late October and November ready to run our best races. Last year, we made baby steps. ... It's time to step up and take care of business at the end of the season."

McRaven plans to enter several of his top returnees, including Hunter Mickow, who redshirted last fall but returned in the spring for a track season highlighted by his win in the Drake Relays 10,000.

VOLLEYBALL

Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational

Friday-Saturday at Austin, Texas

Kevin Hambly's No. 5 lllini face their first major test of the young season on this trip to the Lone Star State. Illinois (3-0) opens the tournament against No. 2 Texas at 6:30 p.m. Friday before facing Florida A&M at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Longhorns were 3-0 entering Thursday's tournament opener against Florida A&M. Although Texas lost a pair of first-team All-Americans to graduation, it returns four starters and nine letter winners from the squad that finished second in the NCAA Championships last year.

"They're probably the most athletic team in the country," Hambly said. "They have a lot of players returning and at the same time have some really nice recruits coming in."

The Texas returnees include 2009 third-team All-American outside hitter Juliann Faucette, who won the Most Outstanding Player award in the season-opening Burnt Orange Classic last weekend. She was joined on the all-tournament team by four teammates, including freshman setter Hannah Allison, prepvolleyball.com's No. 9-ranked recruit. The Longhorns have won their last 25 home matches, a streak dating back to Nov. 1, 2008.

Hambly was pleased with how his team was performing by the end of the State Farm Illini Classic last weekend at Huff Hall. Illinois hit .386 and limited its hitting errors to 12 in a title-clinching four-set victory against Middle Tennessee State. In their first two matches, the Illini had 20 and 25 hitting errors.

"I thought we found ourselves finally against Middle Tennessee State," Hambly said. "We were nervous to start off with, kind of impatient. At the end, we looked like an Illinois volleyball team. We started to wear opponents down and played low-error volleyball. I was really pleased to see that. It'll be interesting to see if we can continue that. We're going to have to against Texas."

SOCCER

Friday at Connecticut

Sunday at Yale

Janet Rayfield's Illini are on a roll and earning votes in the coaches' Top 25 poll for the first time this year.

Connecticut is still looking for its first victory and wasn't on a single ballot in this week's poll for the first time this season.

So for, it's the start Rayfield was hoping for after a losing 2009 campaign. So far, it's not at all like the Huskies envisioned after reaching the second round of the 2009 NCAA tournament.

Two teams going in different directions will meet at 1 p.m. Friday in Storrs, Conn., in a highly significant match for both. Illinois (3-0-0) will face its toughest opponent yet after outscoring its first three foes 8-1. Connecticut badly needs a win. The Huskies return 20 players and 90 percent of its scoring from last year, yet have gone scoreless in their last two matches in falling to 0-2-1. Those last two matches were against quality opponents, however: No. 12 Virginia and a William & Mary team earning the third-most votes among programs outside the top 25. The Huskies had opportunities to win all three of their matches, with each going to overtime or double overtime.

Rayfield isn't necessarily surprised – or fooled – by UConn's sluggish start.

"It's pretty typical of their program that they are always a better team at the end of the year," she said. "I don't think they have the record they want to have, but from history they've shown they're going to be a great program."

UConn's 1-0 double-overtime loss to Virginia, Rayfield said, was "an indication of how competitive of a program they can be."

A primary focus for Illinois entering the season was to improve an attack that was shut out seven times last year. In their first three matches, the Illini have averaged 2.67 goals while outshooting opponents 73-17

"Our ball possession and movement and attacking ability definitely have been positives," Rayfield said.

Injuries to midfielders Laura Knutson (ankle) and Jenna Carosio (shin splints) forced Rayfield to shuffle her lineup in the last match. Knutson is listed as probable for this weekend, while Carosio is doubtful. The Illini conclude their trip Sunday with an 11 a.m. match at Yale.

Illini of the week

HILLARY HAEN

Volleyball

The senior setter was at the hub of an impressively balanced and increasingly potent attack as Illinois won its fifth straight State Farm Illini Classic title last weekend. Haen averaged 12.18 assists per set – No. 2 in the Big Ten so far – while directing the Illni to a .270 attack percentage in three matches. In two of the UI's wins, five Illini players finished with double-figure swing totals as Haen repeatedly spread the ball around and kept opposing blockers guessing. By the final match, against Middle Tennessee State with the tournament title on the line, Illinois' offense was clicking on all cylinders – hitting .386. Haen also was a force behind the baseline, belting five service aces in the tournament.

News & views

Rank and file

The teams of several Illini volleyball commitments are well represented in prepvolleyball.com's preseason Century Club national high school rankings. The website recently announced its top 100 teams entering the 2010 season, and three include future UI players: No. 22 LaGrange Lyons, with senior outside hitter Jocelyn Birks and junior hitter/setter Alexis Viliunas; No. 27 West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West, with senior middle blocker Liz McMahon; and No. 32 Mount Vernon (Iowa), with senior outside/right-side hitter Allison Stark.

Prepvolleyball.com also has begun releasing its Senior Aces, a ranking of the top 250 college recruits in the Class of 2011. The website has announced Nos. 70-100 so far. None of Illinois' four senior commitments were in that group, but look for several to make the list as further Senior Aces are announced. The next batch of 10 (Nos. 69-60) will be revealed Monday and continue through Sept. 11 with the top 10. The next day, Nos. 101-250 will be announced in alphabetical order.

McMahon update

McMahon is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks after suffering an elbow injury in an off-the-court accident last week. The right-hander  was hurt while in Singapore with the U.S. Girls Youth Olympic Team at the Youth Olympic Games. While walking to get a meal, McMahon tripped on a small chain that was extended across a road and fell, injuring her right elbow. An MRI exam on Wednesday revealed a radial head fracture, which commonly is caused when a person tries to break a fall with an outstretched hand.

On the way

Tennisrecruiting.net is reporting that Michelle Dasso's Illini women's team has received commitments from two high school seniors: Melissa Kopinski of Palos Hills Stagg and Julia Jamieson of Wilmette Loyola Academy. Kopinski placed fourth in singles at the 2009 IHSA state tournament. Tennisrecruiting.net rates Kopinski as a blue chip five-star recruit and ranks her No. 23 nationally in the Class of 2011. Jamieson, a four-star recruit, is ranked 59th in her class. Kopinski is the twin sister of UI men's commitment Tim Kopinski, a four-star recruit from Stagg.

Eddleman Award watch

(Fall Sports Edition)

Each week we'll rank our top three candidates for the 2010-11 Dike Eddleman Award, which annually goes to the top male and female athletes at the University of Illinois.

MALE

1. Scott Langley, golf. Reigning NCAA champ reached quarterfinals of U.S. Amateur

2. Mikel Leshoure, football. Running back on initial list of Doak Walker Award candidates

3. Colin Mickow, cross-country. 2009 All-Midwest Region honoree has '10 sights on NCAAs

FEMALE

1. Laura DeBruler, volleyball. Senior is four shy of UI record for career attacks (4.462 by Rachel VanMeter)

2. Vanessa DiBernardo, soccer. Freshman midfielder has three goals in first three collegiate matches.

3. Hillary Haen, volleyball. Senior setter for State Farm Illini Classic champions voted tournament MVP

The list

With 51 kills in three matches last weekend, senior outside hitter Laura DeBruler moved into second place on the Illini volleyball team's career list. The all-time top five:

NAME YEARS KILLS

Mary Eggers 1985-88 1,761

Laura DeBruler 2007-10 1,719

Mary Coleman 1995-98 1,707

Nancy Brookhart 1986-89 1,669

Rachel VanMeter 2002-05 1,662