CHAMPAIGN — Chris Tamas knows the environment his Illinois volleyball team will walk into Thursday night.
Outside of the limelight and pressure that already comes with a national semifinal match, a bigger stage awaits the Illini.
Literally.
The Target Center in Minneapolis can hold 19,356 spectators. That's quite a jump from what the Illini have experienced so far on their postseason run.
All of Illinois' NCAA tournament wins so far have come in front of friendly fans at Huff Hall. A combined 15,249 fans walked into the venerable building, located in the heart of the UI campus, to watch the third-seeded Illini (32-3) win four matches during the past two weekends and clinch a date with Nebraska (28-6) at 8 p.