Monday marks the start of fall semester classes at the University of Illinois. With the UI athletic calendar about to get busy again, HQ's Jeff Huth gives us 10 storylines for the 2010-11 school year.

7. What impact will Monica Perry's departure have on softball?

Terri Sullivan, perhaps the most glass-half-full person in the coaching profession, is confident her Illini can overcome the loss of their ace pitcher, Monica Perry. When the junior right-hander transferred to Mississippi State, Illinois saw 25 victories and 171 strikeouts in 2010 leave with her. But the Illini won 45 games last season — tied for second most in program history — so Perry wasn't the only hurler pitching in. In fact, Pepper Gay made such an impression with her 16-1 record and 1.46 ERA that the then-freshman was selected Illini Female Newcomer of the Year. With Perry gone, Gay's workload figures to rise dramatically, which doesn't necessarily worry Sullivan. "She is physically built to throw many innings," the UI coach says. Next in line is sophomore Jackie Guy, who saw limited mound duty (32 innings) but was highly successful (3-0, 0.88 ERA). Whether Gay and Guy can approach the 1-2 pitching punch that Perry and Gay provided last season seemingly is the key question entering 2011. Here's a glass-half-full fact to keep in mind: They'll be pitching for a lineup — and will be supported by a defense — that returns all but one starter.