Illinois head coach Don Hardin, who is usually calm and collected, was brought to fist pumping and jumping up and down with an orange hula lei around his neck with the Illinois victories in women's volleyball this weekend.

"I really didn't think we were actually going to win until it was over," Hardin said.

The leis were passed out by the team's parents after the final game, so that each player, coach and fan could commemorate Illinois advancing to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament in Hawaii.

Senior all Big-Ten middle blocker Lisa Argabright described the moment as being "perfect."

The Illini opened their weekend hosting Murray State. Facing a superior Illinois team and a veracious crowd made the Murray State Racers fall in three straight games.

"We knew what we were in for, they are big, strong, hit the ball hard and execute," Murray State head coach David Schwepker said. "They were just awesome, the atmosphere was awesome; they have a great program here."

With a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line, Illinois went into their match with Louisville, who was ranked in the top 20 for most of the season and beat Notre Dame 3-0 the night before. The focused Illini took care of business, collecting another 3-0 victory.

"Tonight they played better than us," Louisville head coach Leonid Yelin said. "It is exciting for them to have so many people behind them, we wish them luck. We had too much to lose tonight and it turned into too much pressure."

It was a special night and the Illini's Louisville ties made it extra special.

"This is what I wanted, (to) beat Louisville in front of our fans, in my last game," Argabright said. "We defended Huff very very well."

Hardin was just as excited as him team.

"I was like a duck on water, calm on the surface but struggling inside," Hardin said. "At the end I just couldn't hold back the emotion, I was jumping up and down and had tears coming out of my eyes."

The women's ability to carry their momentum throughout the night was crucial to the Illini's win.

"I am so proud of how we fought," junior Erin Virtue said. "We are not ones to give up."

"We are peaking at the right time," Hardin said. "We are playing our best volleyball of the season and we are ready to take on anyone."

A post-Huff-victory tradition of getting together with the fans and singing the Illinois alma mater was extra special on Saturday. Hardin stood in the middle with his arms around his seniors, with the orange-shirted Spike Squaders intertwined throughout the rest of the team.