BIG TEN VOLLEYBALL MEDIA DAYS

August 3, 2026

Chris Tamas

Vivian Campbell

Kenna Phelan

Illinois Fighting Illini

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Joined by Illinois. Coach, we'll give you the floor before questions.

CHRIS TAMAS: Thanks for having us. Thanks for being here. Again, I'll start kind of what I said last year. When we first started this thing, it was a couple of you in the room. Now it's near full capacity. I appreciate your interest in the sport and help putting the sport out there.

Obviously love this game. It's great being here on behalf of the team. I want to introduce Kenna and Viv, two great ambassadors of our program. We had a lot of tough battles last year, and we're looking to turning those battles around in the right way. We addressed some things amongst the team and were able to get a few players on the roster, international transfers, some talented freshmen, and we look forward to competing in the toughest conference in the country.

THE MODERATOR: Questions here.

Q. (No microphone.)

CHRIS TAMAS: Yeah, a lot of it was we had some inexperience last year. A lot of it was just figuring out how to score those couple extra points. If you look at our set scores, some of the battles we had, we were real close in a lot of sets. Those sets can turn matches and change your trajectory.

We had a lot of really tough-fought battles. A lot of it was just some of the simple things. Can we make that one more serve, could we keep that one more service run, make a better second contact. It wasn't necessarily this huge we got to completely change everything. We've been very competitive for a long time. It was just about can we just really hone in on those couple of items that need to be done a little bit better.

It's always been three sets by two points. We talk about that a lot. We got to make sure we really handle the ball when we can 'cause if you don't, conference is going to make you pay for it.

Q. (No microphone.)

CHRIS TAMAS: Yeah, again, I think you just look, some of it's just strength of schedule. Some stuff internally, injuries amongst the team that didn't help us either. It's neither here nor there. For us, it's about learning from the past, making sure we continue to move on in the future.

Saw a lot of really good things from a lot of really good players. Asked them to play some different roles due to some of those injuries that came up. Everyone just stepped up to the plate. Just too little too late. That's the way it goes sometimes.

For us, for me specifically, it's always about just moving on to the next, moving forward. We addressed those early in the spring. We talked about that at length. We're just saying, It eats at my soul when we're that close. You're going to be in those battles a lot.

To have that experience and have these players return that have that experience that have been through it, understand that every single game is your best, I think is a big deal.

Having the one more year from them, from their experience, adding the pieces that we added this year, I'm just really excited to be a part of it as I always am. I'm really looking forward to the season.

Q. (No microphone.)

KENNA PHELAN: Yeah, actually my mom was my high school coach and got the chance of coaching her. She was a player I looked up to a lot when I was younger. We had the same setting coach growing up. She was a huge inspiration for me playing at Washington. I got to go see her in the Final Four. Yeah, for sure.

Q. (No microphone.)

CHRIS TAMAS: Yeah, I would have said Yahoo (smiling).

It's been an amazing journey. When I first got hired back in 2017, it wasn't like what have you done for me lately. Josh and the administration does an incredible job of lifting the whole athletic department. It's one of the most amazing things I've seen. I've been around a lot of universities in my years.

Tremendous leadership and understanding of the bigger picture of all this and changing with the times. You've got everything, COVID, rev share, NIL, go down the list of things that have happened. All the sports across the board, success in every program we have in Illinois. Happy to be a part of that and to continue this journey.

It's really become home for my wife and I. Obviously she works with me as an assistant. To be a part of the Champaign-Urbana community is a huge deal to us. To see the passion, people know us at the grocery store, they talk to our players when they're sitting down for dinner, coming to support us to make sure we're doing okay when times are tough, celebrate when the times are great.

I've enjoyed every step of the way. This place is home for us. We're not going anywhere as long as they'll have it.

Q. (No microphone.)

CHRIS TAMAS: There's been some retirements obviously that have come through. I think our sport is very family-oriented in terms of that regard, where there are a lot of coaches that do have some long-tenured spots, they like where they're at.

I think the changeover, we went through maybe a couple years ago where we had quite a bit. Every program can do it as they wish. We've had some retirements and people moving along.

Yeah, it can be a grind, too. It's not easy. Happy to be here for 10 years. I think tremendous coaches here in the Big Ten, as well.

Q. (No microphone.)

CHRIS TAMAS: Yeah, good question.

I talked to the team about this will -- one of our pillars is to be in the moment. Let's be really good about doing that. Those conversations will come in due time because the decisions are going to have to be made obviously.

Where it becomes different than COVID is COVID you have the roster expansion, you got to add on whoever you wanted to add on. Now you sit at your roster caps, you might have players that want to do something different maybe from a professional sense or maybe in terms of a major or master's that they want to get to help their career beyond volleyball. I think there's plenty of those conversations that can be had.

Love all my players, love to keep everyone. The time frame that gets sprung on you is the time frame. Now you have to kind of figure it out.

I think it's just another thing that we have to manage. Happy to have those conversations in due time. In terms of the immediate, I'm really honed in on this year and making sure this team is as good as we can be and go from there.

Q. (No microphone.)

VIVIAN CAMPBELL: I feel like this rule change, it's been an awesome opportunity that all athletes have across different sports. Like Chris said, right now we're focused for season, as we come to the pre-season as well, getting in the gym together. I think it's definitely a conversation that will happen later.

Overall it's an amazing opportunity for all athletes.

KENNA PHELAN: To go off of what Viv said, I think it's a fantastic opportunity for a lot of athletes. We're trying to be where our feet are and focus on this year.

Q. You return three of the top four returners or leaders in kills and points from last year. What are the lessons you took that you want to carry over into this year?

KENNA PHELAN: We had a lot of newcomers and people that had never played in the Big Ten. Myself included. So I think figuring each other out throughout the season and getting to work with them all spring has been awesome. I'm really excited for all to come. Makes my life easy that there's so many good attackers on the roster, so it's fun.

Q. (No microphone.)

KENNA PHELAN: I mean, I am very excited. We have such a deep team this year, especially in the attacking side. We have a couple freshmen that came in and have been lights out over the summer, in the past few days. We have a transfer Paityn Chapman from Tennessee, she's awesome. Lindsay, she's a middle blocker. Kristina, she's our Ukrainian, our girl. She's awesome.

It's been fun just trying to figure each other out, figure out how all the components go together, who needs what. But I'm excited.

Q. When you lose your leader in blocks and also aces in Kayla and Averie, who are you looking at?

CHRIS TAMAS: I think some of those things don't just exist in a vacuum. You're always going to have some people step up and kind of rise to the challenge. Both those players you mentioned were tremendous, as we've had tremendous players in the past, whether it be Megan Cooney, Raina Terry, Jordyn Poulter, Jacqueline Quade. We've always worked hard to keep training the players to step up to the plate.

I always am going to look at everyone to try to fill those voids and keep harping on the fundamentals with everyone. You have two great ones here. I think Viv is one of the better servers that I've seen. Kens can dish the ball like nobody out there. I really do appreciate the two of them up here.

Like they said, it's a competitive group. I think one of my challenges this year is going to be to figure out who the best ones are of that group because it's been very competitive in the gym. I can see running a few different lineups as the season goes on.

Q. Kenna, art is your major, it's what you do. How important is it in your life?

KENNA PHELAN: I would say, I mean, like anyone, everyone has different passions. Volleyball is definitely one of my passions. But getting the opportunity to do the other side and pursue my art in college has been awesome. Finding that balance, it's a good escape from practice, but getting to have two things that I love and getting to be able to do them day in and day out has been incredible.

Q. (No microphone.)

VIVIAN CAMPBELL: I feel like Illinois volleyball knows how to pick some one-of-a-kind personalities. Paityn Chapman is definitely one of them. I get the great chance to room with her this fall. I'm so excited for her to be knocking on my door.

Even in the gym to be able to play with her has been amazing. She's a fun energy and talented player, too. She fits in well with the team.

KENNA PHELAN: Shout-out Chris, he doesn't recruit duds from what I can tell (smiling). She's awesome, electric. She doesn't have an off button. She just keeps going. I feel like we have a lot of other components like that. It's fun to be in the gym with them and off the court.

Q. (No microphone.)

CHRIS TAMAS: Yeah, obviously you got to get there. I think it changes a little bit what I have to do with non-conference play. You got to make sure you get your matches in because you're losing three from conference. If you're still working the RPI game and everything else, which we are, you have to make you're filling the void in some non-con play. I see some teams are trying to add on at the end of the season or in the middle around the country.

Like everything, change is just a little bit for the better. You get every team once. Everyone gets a fair shake more or less, and then you get a true champion in the tournament play.

So I think it's great. Really appreciate Commissioner Petitti to go forth and help us do this. We've been talking about it for a long time. I think now with the addition of the four West Coast teams, it made a lot of sense to play everyone once. You can kind of maybe space that out a little bit more to alleviate some of the compression from travel. I think it's a great thing. It's going to be a great environment. You're going to see some really, really competitive matches obviously throughout the year, but I think that tournament is going to be one of the best out there.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, guys.