2018 ILLINOIS VOLLEYBALLTHE FIGHTING ILLINI TABLE OF CONTENTS UNIVERSITY INFORMATION Nickname: . .Fighting . Illini THE FIGHTING ILLINI RECORD BOOK Founded: . 1867 Head Coach Chris Tamas . 3 Year-By-Year Illini History . 56-65 Colors: . Orange and Blue Assistant Coach Rashinda Reed . 4 All-Time Results . 66-77 Conference: . .Big Ten Assistant Coach Alfred Reft . 5 Opponent Series Results . 78-83 Division: . NCAA Division I Volunteer Assistant Coach Jen Tamas . 6 Opponent Series Records . 84 Director of Operations Andy Wenstrand . 7 TV Appearances . 85-86 Home Court: . .Huff Hall (4,536) Support Staff . 7 Illini vs . Ranked Opponents . 87-88 President: . .Timothy L . Killeen Director of Athletics Josh Whitman . 8-9 Illinois in the AVCA Rankings . 89 Chancellor: . .Dr . Robert J . Jones Ali Bastianelli . 10-11 Career Records . 90 Enrollment: . .44,880 Blayke Hranicka . 12-13 Season Records . 91 Athletic Director: . .Josh Whitman Jordyn Poulter . 14-15 Single-Match Records . 92-93 Senior Women’s Administrator: . .Maria Ochoa Woods Beth Prince . 16-17 Team Records . 94 Ashlyn Fleming . 18-19 Miscellaneous Records . 95 Ticket Office Phone: . .217-333-3470 Jacqueline Quade . .. 20-21 Annual Stat Leaders . 96-97 Caroline Welsh . 22-23 Huff Hall . 98-99 HISTORY Megan Cooney . 24-25 Huff Hall Records . 100 First Year: . .1974 Morgan O’Brien . 26-27 Illini Classic . 101 Overall Record: . .957-554-7 ( .633) Lexie Smith . 28-29 Illinois in the NCAA Tournament . 102 Years in NCAA Tournament (Record): . 24 . (40-24) Emmaline Walters . 30-31 Illinois Postseason Records . 103 Kylie Bruder . 32 Illinois’ Big Ten Championships . 104-105 Emily Hollowell . 32 All-Time NCAA and Big Ten Champions . 106 SPORTS INFORMATION Diana Brown . 33 Illini By Number . 107 Volleyball SID: . Libby Knight Taylor Kuper . 33 Letterwinners . 108-109 Email . .. eknight2@illinois .edu Indiv . Career Match-By-Match Stats . 34-36 All-America Profiles . 110-119 Office Phone . 217-265-8171 Honor Roll . 120-123 Cell Phone . 217-714-1218 Annual Team Finishes . 124 2017 SEASON IN REVIEW Assistant Volleyball SID: . TBA Season-Ending Notes . 38-40 Email . .. TBA Season Stats and Results . 41 TEAM INFORMATION Office Phone . TBA Team/Opponent Match-by-Match Stats . 42 Roster . Inside Front Cover The Big Ten in 2017 . .. 43-44 Radio/TV Roster . Inside Back Cover Office Fax: . 217-333-5540 Match Highs . 45 2018 Schedule . Back Cover Web Address: . www .FIGHTINGILLINI .com Match-by-Match Box Scores . 46-54 Facebook . .www .facebook .com/IlliniVBall Twitter/Instagram: . @IlliniVBall Mailing Address: Bielfeldt Administration Building 1700 South Fourth Street Champaign, IL 61820 TEAM INFORMATION 2017 Record: . .23-11 Big Ten Record: . .12-8/T5th Postseason: . .NCAA Sweet 16 Starters Returning/Lost: . 6/1 (libero) Letterwinners Returning/Lost: . 12/5 Newcomers (Freshmen/Transfers): . 3 (2/1) VOLLEYBALL COACHING STAFF Head Coach: . Chris Tamas (Pacific ‘03) Record as Illinois Head Coach: . 2nd year Career Head Coaching Record: . 2nd year Assistant Coaches: . Rashinda Reed (Georgia ‘05) . Alfred Reft (Hawai’i ‘06) Volunteer Assistant: . .Jen Tamas (Pacific ‘04) Director of Operations: . Andy Wenstrand (Florida Tech ‘04) Athletic Trainer . Maggie Marion The 2018 Illinois Volleyball Record Book was written by Libby Knight . Cover design by Adam Marantz . Photos by Volleyball Office Phone: . 217-333-8607 Cary Frye, Mark Jones, Craig Pessman and Andy Wendstrand . Volleyball Office Fax: . .217-333-4853 24 NCAA BIDS // 17 SWEET 16s // 3 FINAL FOURS // 1 THE FIGHTING ILLINI THE COACHING STAFF THE CHRIS TAMAS FILE CHRIS Date of Birth: January 27, 1981 Hometown: Santa Barbara, Calif . Education: B .S . Sports Sciences/Management, University of the Pacific, 2003 TAMAS Family: Wife, Jennifer; Son: Jimmy, Daughter: Josephine HEAD COACH SECOND SEASON AS HEAD COACH COACHING EXPERIENCE 2017- Head Coach, University of Illinois SECOND SEASON AT ILLINOIS 2014-17 Assistant Coach, University of Nebraska 2015 National Champions, Runner-up finish in B1G 2016 Final Four appearance, B1G Champions 2013-15 Assistant Coach, California Polytechnic University Chris Tamas enters his second season as head coach of the Fighting Illini volleyball program after 2011-12 Assistant Coach, University of Minnesota being named to the position in February 2017 . Tamas (pronounced Thomas) is the eighth head 2011 NCAA Sweet 16 appearance coach in Illinois history . 2012 NCAA Elite Eight appearance 2009-11 Assistant Coach, University of California-Riverside In his first season at the helm of Illinois volleyball - and his first-ever season as an NCAA Division I head coach - Tamas led the Illini back to the NCAA Regionals for the program’s 17th Sweet 16 in its history . The Illini finished the 2017 season with a 23-11 overall record, including a fifth-place PLAYING EXPERIENCE showing in the Big Ten Conference with a 12-8 mark as well as a final ranking of No . 17 in the 2003-09 Professional Volleyball American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coaches Poll . Along with team success, Tamas Protect Eye Orion (Netherlands) helped coach then-juniors Jordyn Poulter and Ali Bastianelli to AVCA All-America Third-Team Antigos Alunos (Portugal) honors as the duo became just the eighth and ninth two-time honorees in program history after Real Grupo (Spain) earning honorable mention accolades as sophomores . Erdemir (Turkey) Tamas came to Illinois following many years learning from some of the game’s great coaches, Dionysos (Cyprus) including John Cook at Nebraska and former U .S . National Team coaches Hugh McCutcheon Isku (Finland) and Ron Larsen . In all, Tamas is in his ninth year of collegiate coaching including two years at National Cup Championship with Dionysos and Isku Nebraska, two years at Cal Poly, two years at Minnesota and two years at UC-Riverside . Team captain for Real Grupo, Erdemir, Dionysos and Isku 1999, ‘03 USA Volleyball “My family and I are extremely excited about the opportunity to coach at the University of ‘05-06 2006 NORCECA Championships Gold Medalist Illinois,” Tamas said in his introductory press conference . “Huff Hall is one of the outstanding 2005 World Grand Champions Cup Silver Medalist volleyball venues in the nation, and I’ve always thought the Spike Squad was awesome . Illinois 2003 World University Games team captain has traditionally been one of the elite programs in the country and the Big Ten Conference is the COACHES 2003 World University Games USA flag bearer premier volleyball league in the nation . I can’t wait to work with our team and prepare to compete 2003 World University Games Bronze Medalist against the best . I’ve seen this team play for the past two seasons and I’m excited with the level 1999 World Jr . Championships team captain of talent we have and at the talent coming in . We look forward to hitting the ground running .” 1999 World Jr . Championships Silver Medalist Tamas is a 2003 graduate of the University of the Pacific with a degree in sports sciences . He 1999-2003 University of the Pacific was a four-year starter for the Tigers and a unanimous AVCA All-American first team selection 2003 AVCA First-Team All-America and team MVP during his 2003 senior season . In four years with the U .S . Men’s National Team 2003 Team MVP (1999, 2003, 2005-06), Tamas made 2001-03 MPSF All-America 34 appearances, and, in 1999, helped 2000 Most Improved Player the squad to a silver medal at the Four-year starter and team captain World Junior Championships in Havana . As national team captain in 2003, Tamas helped lead the United State to a bronze medal at the World University Games in Daegu, South Korea . A training camp invitee for the U .S . squad that eventually captured the 2008 Olympic gold medal, Tamas also helped U .S . teams to silver at the 2005 World Grand Champions Cup in Japan and, as a setter, to a gold at the 2006 NORCECA Championships in Mexicali, Mexico . As a professional, Tamas competed for six years overseas with clubs Protect Eye Orion (Netherlands), Antigos Alunos (Portugal), Real Grupo (Spain), Erdemir (Turkey), Dionysos (Cyprus) and Isku (Finland) . In Finland and Cyprus, Tamas helped his clubs to national cup championships . A native of Santa Barbara, California, Tamas and his wife, Jennifer (Joines) Tamas, have two children, Jimmy and Josephine . Jennifer was a volunteer assistant at both Nebraska and Cal Poly . She was a four-time All-American middle blocker at Pacific (2000-03) and silver medalist with the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics while playing professionally for eight years in Japan, Italy, Russia, Azerbaijan and Puerto Rico . She was the U .S . Women’s National Team captain for four years . Chris Tamas was named the eighth head coach in Illinois volleyball history on February 10, 24 NCAA BIDS // 17 SWEET 16s // 3 FINAL FOURS // 3 THE COACHING STAFF RASHINDA THE REED FILE HOMETOWN Fairbanks, Alaska REED EDUCATION ASSISTANT COACH B .S ., Psychology, University of Georgia ‘05 SECOND SEASON PLAYING EXPERIENCE Southwestern Oregon Community College, 2000-02 University of Georgia, 2002-04 Professional Volleyball, 2005-09 VC Tirol Volleyball Club (2005-06) El Algar Volleyball Club (2006-07) Rashinda Reed begins her second season with the Fighting Illini after joining the staff as an assistant coach in Plantina Longa Volleyball Club (2007-08) March 2017 . COACHING EXPERIENCE Reed was most recently named the head volleyball coach at Northern Michigan University in December of 2016 following seven seasons as an assistant coach at a number of highly successful NCAA Division I and Division II Assistant Coach, University of Illinois, 2017-present programs, while also enjoying a strong collegiate and professional career as a middle blocker . Head Coach, Northern Michigan University, 2016-17 Assistant Coach, UAB, 2016 Reed spent the 2016 campaign as an assistant coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she Assistant Coach, Northeastern University, 2015 guided a Conference USA all-conference honoree and helped manage year-round recruiting .