True fans never let up, even on the road.

After the Illinois volleyball team dropped the opening game to Northwestern at Evanston, Ill. last Wednesday, the Illini needed to be picked up.

In stepped the Spike Squad, the student cheering section for the Illinois volleyball team. The energetic, loud and never motionless students helped keep Illinois from losing its focus and energy level as the Illini went on to win the next three games.

"They're amazing," Illinois senior middle blocker Lisa Argabright said. "I love them for their dedication. They were on a bus for six hours for a two hour volleyball match."

The Spike Squad doesn't just travel to watch their team. They are there to make a difference in the match.

"You can hear them everywhere," Illinois sophomore outside hitter Rachel Van Meter said. "When you're in the game you can hear them. On the bench you can hear them."

The trip to Northwestern was the brain child of Illinois Pride volleyball chair Patrick Hatch. Hatch, a sophomore in business, made a few road trips with one of his friends last year to watch the team. This year he wanted to get more people involved in a road trip.

"Northwestern is close, and they're an in-state rival so I thought that would get more people to come out," Hatch said.

A bus full of 55 Spike Squad members left Huff Hall for the Northwestern match last Wednesday. The funding of the trip was provided by the Networkers, the volleyball booster club, and by Illinois volleyball head coach Don Hardin.

"If I'm not willing to put money up to support them, why should someone else?" Hardin said.

At matches in Huff Hall the students sit in two sections, across from each other, on the floor. The seats are by the visiting teams' bench.

The group is always decked out in orange and blue. Most wear shirts saying "Spike Squad." Several have on orange and blue striped soccer socks.

Most individualize their outfits. Hatch wears an orange and blue hat that looks like it is from Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat. Others have volleyballs on their head with Illinois capes draped across their back.

When the Spike Squad traveled to Northwestern, they took up six rows of the bleachers behind Illinois' bench.

During matches the group screams and yells for Illinois and against the Illini's opponent. The Spike Squad has several cheers they perform throughout every match. When Argabright registers a kill they shout "Jackhammer." When Illinois junior defensive specialist Kathleen Bazzetta serves they say "Buzz-etta."

"A few people just come up with cheers and they just catch on," Hatch said. "Last year a few people, I don't remember who, came up with the jackhammer cheer and now everyone does it."

At Northwestern the Spike Squad turned their cheering up a notch. Anytime the Northwestern fight song was played, the group would hum the Illinois fight song or the William Tell Overture, with the accompanying dance.

"We are so much louder than the Northwestern fans," Andy Jakubowski, sophomore in engineering, said during the Northwestern match. "I think we are really making a difference."

The Spike Squad got all over the Northwestern players. Northwestern junior outside hitter Jill Buschur struggled in the match, hitting the ball into the net on multiple occasions. Chants of "Jill, Jill" would start when Northwestern would set up their offensive attack. During one timeout a Spike Squad member yelled to Northwestern head coach Keylor Chan that Buschur was the best player Illinois had.

"It's fun to say something to the other team," Jakubowski said. "We don't go over the top and we don't chant things that we shouldn't say to them."

Being a member of the Spike Squad may just be a hobby but Hardin sees it as something fans and players will look back on with fond memories.

"This just adds to their overall experience at Illinois," Hardin said. "They will be wearing Illinois sweatshirts in their forties, both the students and the players, because of this."