If you go to the University of Illinois and haven’t heard about the success off this year’s women’s volleyball team, then it is time to find out! Our women’s team is making the campus proud with an outstanding record of 21-2 overall and 10-2 in the Big Ten, putting them at number 3 in the nation on the Women’s NCAA rankings.
According to the NCAA (ncaa.org) each volleyball match is determined by winning three out of the five sets per game. Each game has a possible 25 points, and the team must win by 2 points. Our University of Illinois team has won 22 of these matches so far this year!
When they aren’t traveling or playing matches at home, the team is practicing diligently. Being on a Big 10 athletics team obviously has benefits like traveling the country, a close bond with a team, and staying in awesome shape.
According to USA TODAY, about one-third of people in the U.S. are obese, or around 30 pounds heavier than their recommended weight. This is especially a worry for college students with the constant influence of fast food and calories from drinking.
Staying in shape in college is important, especially because of these unhealthy influences. One way that Aaron Klein, a sophomore in Recreation, Sports and Tourism, stays in shape is simply by attending the volleyball games.
These games are very intense – the crowd gets involved by screaming, jumping, and cheering for their team. According to Klein, “Volleyball games are fun because of the intimate atmosphere of Huff Hall and the incredible student support for our team.”
Not only has the crowd been able to get out and support the team, recently they have been able to support a good cause too. When the Illini defeated the Wisconsin badgers last week they were able to do so while showing their support for breast cancer awareness by competing for “Dig Pink.” The team wore pink jerseys in support of friends and family with breast cancer.
Sometime college athletics other than football and basketball are pushed under the radar, but this year the women’s volleyball team is holding their own, making a great name for our university and for women’s athletics. Seeing the team bump, set, and spike their way to victory might be a motivation to get moving to, so go catch a match at Huff Hall before it’s too late!