Troyix:

This Illini team doesn't currently have what I would consider to be a really top-tier server who consistently gives opponents fits.

You're right about Colleen Ward and the impact her jump serve could have. Very powerful and often tough to handle (when it was in-bounds, of course).

That's not to say that jump serves and fastball serves are the only way to be effective from behind the baseline. The serve that just barely clears the net can be nasty. You also can put different types of spin on the ball take make it tough to handle.

This is a skill that I know Illinois works on diligently so, yes, you can make significant improvements during the course of a season or a career.

This only partially relates to your question, but if you have seen Penn State play, you know what a wicked serve Micha Hancock has. I've been covering college volleyball for The News-Gazette since 1996, and Hancock is the best server I've ever seen. So powerful, but she's able to harness that power with a remarkable degree of accuracy. During the later stages of the Illini-Penn State match earlier this month, I remember thinking after Hancock hit a net serve what a favor she had just done for Illinois. She's that good.

Terence:

Interesting question. I don't know the answer. I do know that whether Kevin Hambly or his players personally read about Illini volleyball on-line, they certainly are alerted by friends, family and others to things written and said about them.

That was confirmed again Wednesday night in the postmatch interview room. While reporters were waiting for Hambly to arrive so the interview session could start, freshman setter Alexis Viliunas politely but firmly requested that she not be referred to as Lexi. Said she hated that variation of her first name. Lex was preferred, she said.

Then she said she'd been told "Lexi" had been used in a recent story on Illini volleyball.

"Lexi" might have appeared elsewhere, too, but I know for sure a story with "Lexi" appeared in The News-Gazette and was posted on IlliniHQ.com. It was in a quote from Hambly after Saturday night's match at Michigan State about Viliunas' collegiate debut in that match.

I wouldn't be surprised if that is the last time Hambly uses "Lexi" when referring to the freshman (at least with the media).

Related to this issue of coaches and players following what's said about them in the media, Hambly told me a while back he does not read newspaper stories written about the team and does not look at the on-line chats and message boards. However, he does learn about at least some of what is written and said through his wife, Mary Hambly. She serves, I guess, as his media/on-line filter.

Spike60031:

You're right. It's not just about setting. Passing is crucial to the success of a connection between a setter and a hitter. Also, the better the pass, the more options a setter has in distributing the ball and the tougher it is for an opposing defense to block an attack.

Hambly said again after Wednesday's match that the passing -- such a concern earlier in the season -- continues to improve. From my observations, I'd agree.

When you ask about other changes, Hambly's hands may be tied. As I wrote a couple weeks ago, it's becoming more and more apparent how valuable the now-departed Rachel Feldman was to Illinois as a defensive specialist the past few seasons. The Illini really don't have anyone of her caliber currently coming off the bench when it comes to digging and passing. Freshman Julia Conard may eventually provide what Feldman did, but she is continuing to make the transition to this level,  and that takes time for all but the most special college newcomers.

Anonymous User:

I do see Illnois making the NCAA tournament unless there is a major collapse down the stretch. Keep in mind that to be considered for an at-large berth, a team must have a winning record. And while that certainly appears attainable and even likely, Illinois does have a heavy road schedule after this weekend. Six of its final 10 matches are away from Huff Hall, including trips to Minnesota, Penn State and Ohio State.

I agree with you that the Illini could be one of those teams that is playing better than what its placement in the bracket would suggest. We've already seen that Illinois is capable of playing with anyone in the country on a given night (just ask No. 1 Penn State, which barely escaped Huff Hall with a five-set win; or ask No. 8 Texas, which was beaten by the Illini on its home court in mid-September).

But Illinois also is capable of laying an egg; the three-set loss at Michigan is the most recent example.

So it's really a matter of whether the Illini can continue to improve and be consistent with that improvement the rest of the regular season. If that happens, Illinois should be viewed as a dangerous team entering the NCAA tournament.

Regarding the talent question, this team is not as talented as last year's NCAA runner-up. You don't lose two All-American outside hitters and not take a step back. Freshman Jocelynn Birks is playing at a high level, but that accounts for only one of the OH spots.

I think the main difference I see from other recent Illini teams is the major reliance on young players this season (on Wednesday, the primary rotation included three freshmen and two sophomores) and the corresponding lack of experience. There's no doubt this team is talented and has potential, but so far we've seen growing pains that make Illinois' record what it is.

Billibob:

I'm reluctant to make an evaluation of Viliunas at this point because she's played in only two match for Illinois and I've seen only one of them.

I can tell you I was struck by her physical stature on the court the other night. She's listed at 6-foot-1, but she looks taller than that when standing with her teammates. This is one of the bigger, stronger setters in the Big Ten. And against Northwestern on Wednesday, she at times showed special setting kills -- the type you would expect from someone who was named the state's top high school player last year by at least one source (the Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year award).

Her size and strength bodes well for her impact as a blocker. She's already making her presence felt in another area of the defense. In each of her first two collegiate matches, Viliunas racked up 14 digs.

Regarding the type of record Illinois needs to get into the tournament, I'll defer to Kevin Hambly. A while back, he said he thought his team needed at least 17 wins. It helps Illinois' cause that it plays in a conference as difficult and deep as the Big Ten. The NCAA selection committee takes that into account when it looks at a record that, on the surface, might seem ordinary.

MattK61:

We touched on this earlier, but I think Viliunas has a very, very high ceiling. Her background with an elite club progam and her success in national tournaments put her among the top setters in the Class of 2012. She fits the profile Kevin Hambly is working toward of a lineup of players that can do it all. As you suggested, experience at this level is the only thing she is lacking.

Not to go overboard, however, I would repeat that I have seen her play exactly once so far. Sunday's match against a team the caliber of Nebraska should be revealing. But even if Viliunas should struggle or not provide the impact she has so far in that match, keep it mind this is extremely early in her college career. She should be judged in that context.

Regarding Luhrsen, we all saw last season how effective she can be at the hub of an attack. You don't start at such an important position for an NCAA runner-up and not be a high-impact player. For some reason, it just wasn't clicking this season. The departure of Ward and Bartsch certainly was expected to hurt, but this Illini team continued to be so erratic that Hambly decided he could no longer wait to make a change at setter. For whatever reason, Luhrsen, with all of her experience and skills, wasn't able to get the attack moving in a better direction as the season progressed. I don't have any answers as to why.