CHAMPAIGN — Rylee Hinton had to wait 528 days between committing and signing to play volleyball at Illinois. The Champaign Central senior's wait to start her Illini career, though, will be significantly shorter.
Hinton, who signed her National Letter of Intent on Wednesday afternoon, will enroll early at Illinois next semester with the added benefit that the 6-foot-2 middle blocker will get a head start on her collegiate volleyball career.
"It finally feels real," Hinton said. " I feel like I've been waiting for this for so long. I'm just so excited — like so excited — especially with the way the season is going now.