Just two weeks ago, Illinois volleyball had just swept Northwestern and was off to a 7-1 start in Big Ten play.
Their 12-5 (7-1) start in the Big Ten was the best under Coach Tamas in his nine years. The Illini were squarely in second place behind Nebraska in the conference, and it seemed they would be a lock for the NCAA tournament. Two weeks can change a lot.
The Orange and Blue have fallen victim to their previous four opponents, getting swept in three consecutive matches and then losing a heartbreaker in five to Iowa.
The Illini, who were sitting pretty a couple of weeks ago, have now slid down to being tied for 6th in the Big Ten with three other schools.
With all this being said, the past is the past, and there is nothing anybody can do to change the last two weeks. The only thing the team can do now is look forward and do whatever they can to get back on track.
There is no easy pathway for the Illinois volleyball team in Big Ten play
That will not be an easy task, as their next battle takes them to Lincoln on Thursday night to take on the Cornhuskers in enemy territory. The Huskers have yet to lose a set in Big Ten play and have only lost six sets overall to go along with a 22-0 record. The only perfect record left in the country this season.
It doesn't get much easier for the Illini as they welcome in another top 25 foe to Huff Hall on Sunday. Penn State has been inconsistent all season and is one of the teams I said Illinois needs to beat to make the tournament, and now, I think that is truer than ever. A win over the Nittany Lions is just what the doctor is ordering to get this team back on track and give them some confidence and momentum moving forward into their last few weeks of the season.
As it stands, five of Illinois' remaining eight games are against ranked squads. It is certainly going to be an uphill battle. Last year, Illinois finished 18-12 and snuck into the tournament, so I would predict something similar to that would get them in again this year.
None of their remaining matches will be easy, after all, nothing is easy in the Big Ten. However, if they can find a way to win five of them, that would put Illinois at 17-12. I would think, with their resume in the strongest conference in the country, they would qualify for the tournament at that point.
The Illini are relatively young and have been inconsistent throughout the season. However, one thing I've noticed, especially in conference play, is that their play goes in waves. When they are rolling, as we saw when they won seven of their first eight Big Ten games, they are tough to stop. But when they start to struggle, it can snowball.
Hopefully, this season will end on a wave of winning for Illinois that can carry them straight into the NCAA tournament.