CHAMPAIGN – Cristy Chapman did indeed request that No. 7 on her uniform. And with good reason.

Just not the one a lot of University of Illinois volleyball watchers apparently have been assuming.

"A lot of people have said that," the junior transfer from Louisville said Saturday when asked if she wanted No. 7 because it was worn by Kelly Scherr.

The same Kelly Scherr that Chapman now is trying to succeed in the Illini starting lineup.

"It didn't even register that it was Kelly's, but it's kind of a neat situation," Chapman said between matches of the Networkers Invitational at Huff Hall. "But really, it's just coincidental."

Scherr, of course, wore No. 7 with great distinction during a four-year Illini career that was capped last year by being voted to the All-Big Ten team. And it wouldn't have been a surprise had Chapman requested No. 7 as a statement that she intended to do her best to emulate Scherr.

Turns out Chapman did have a specific volleyball player in mind when she asked for No. 7. It was former Louisville teammate Erica Moore.

Moore was a two-time All-Conference USA selection, but Chapman didn't have her ex-teammate's on-court feats in mind when she asked for the same number Moore had worn. Instead, Chapman did so as a thank-you to a good friend. It was Moore who had helped the 6-foot-2 middle blocker through some trying times when Chapman decided last October to quit the Louisville team and transfer to the UI.

"She helped me out all last fall with everything that happened," Chapman said.

Now Chapman hopes to help out a Illini team thin at her position.

"She's a great addition," said fellow middle blocker Sara Sorrell. "She's what we need. She's doing a good job of filling the void of when Kelly left.

"I think we complement each other well and I think it's going to pay off in the fall."

Chapman chose Illinois because the move reunites her with Don Hardin, who had signed the Newton native while coaching at Louisville. Hardin left for Illinois after Chapman's freshman season.

"For some reason, I play well with Don," Chapman said. "He has a lot of confidence in me and I think that's helped me out the most."

Said Hardin: "I love her attitude. She goes after it all the time. She's excitable out there, has fun, and that's what we want from our players. We want them to be loose, aggressive."

Chapman does have some catching up to do on the court, says Hardin, who has taken her out of the back-row rotation while working on her passing skills. Last year was virtually a lost season for Chapman, since she played in only 12 matches before deciding to quit Louisville's team. And during the preceding spring – a key training period for all teams – Louisville did not yet have Hardin's replacement in place.

"She kind of had a wasted spring at Louisville last year," Hardin said, "so fundamentally, she's had to learn some things."

Hardin learned Saturday that the 6-2 Chapman's presence at the net should come in handy against bigger teams like Wisconsin. Although the Illini lost 15-7, 15-11 to the Badgers, the UI coach liked what he saw from his newcomer.

"Wisconsin's got the tallest middle in the conference," Hardin said. "They're known for their middle dominance, and Cristy held her own. She did well there against a real good team."