CHAMPAIGN – Don Hardin could give his well-worn speech a rest Saturday night.

No need for the University of Illinois volleyball coach to promise his team, as he has so often during the past month, that they would be rewarded if they just kept plugging way.

No need to remind them of the progress they were making on the court, if not in the win column, against the Big Ten Conference's heavy hitters.

And no need to buck up his team's spirits one more time. They were plenty high already after seventh-place Illinois concluded its season by knocking off a 22-8 Minnesota team that almost certainly will be invited today to the NCAA tournament.

"For me, it was one of the best wins in a couple of years," Illini junior Mary Coleman said of the 15-10, 15-11, 15-11 triumph.

Coleman and her fellow veteran teammates had more than a few reasons to feel that way.

This victory came on the night that defensive specialist Heidi Coulter, the lone senior on the team, was playing her 127th and final match for Illinois.

"We really wanted with all of our hearts to give her a good going-away match," UI sophomore setter Melissa Beitz said.

There was the return to Huff Hall of former Illini coach Mike Hebert, who had recruited all but the current freshmen on this UI team and was 3-0 against them since leaving for Minnesota.

There was the feel-good ending that this victory put on a 17-13 season, in contrast to last year's frustrating finale at Michigan – a 3-2 setback in which Illinois had led 2-0.

"This is definitely going to leave us with a positive feeling going into the fall," Coleman said.

Finally, and perhaps most important, there was the breakthrough nature of this victory. It marked the first time in two years that Illinois defeated a team that finished in the first division of the Big Ten. At 12-8, the Gophers ended up in a two-way tie for fifth place.

"Now that we know we can beat the Minnesotas out there, that's one of the steps that we're going to take in our progression to get to the top," Beitz said.

Getting over this particular hump Saturday night, Hardin said, spoke volumes about the perseverance of his players. In its previous five matches against Big Ten first-division teams, Illinois had extended each to at least four games and two to the maximum five.

"This is huge because they've been so close," Hardin said. "They could have gotten discouraged and given up on their competitive attitude, but they didn't.

"I don't know what I would have told them if they'd have come up short one more time, except to keep on pumping the well.

"This might be the pump that brings the water up."

Quenching their thirst for a win of this significance enabled the Illini to finish their season on a three-match winning streak. Once 3-7 in the Big Ten, Illinois finished 8-12 in the league.

"We're on a great run right now, and it's too bad it's over," Coleman said.

Coleman could count herself among those who made sure it ended well for the Illini. The junior outside hitter recorded a double-double in kills (16) and digs (14) while hitting .444.

Outside hitter Tracey Marshall led Illinois in kills with 18.