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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:
From left, Illinois volleyball players Kayla Burbage, left, and Averie Hernandez, along with coach Chris Tamas, during ‘The News-Gazette Sports Page,’ radio show on WDWS 1400-AM and 93.9-FM on Monday at the Esquire in downtown Champaign. The Illini are 2-0 in Big Ten play after weekend wins against Oregon and Purdue.
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. The Illinois volleyball team could not have asked for a better start in Big Ten play. The Illini had posted a 5-4 record in nonconference matches, with no real signature wins to speak of, but swept Oregon this past Friday night at Huff Hall and then earned a four-set win against No. 10 Purdue in front of 8,373 fans on Sunday at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.
➜ 2. The 11 a.m. kickoff on Fox worked well for Illinois football this past Saturday against Southern Cal. And the Illini will get that same time slot and network when No. 1 Ohio State visits Gies Memorial Stadium on Oct. 11 for another Big Ten showdown.
➜ 3. Many thanks to Illinois women’s basketball coach Shauna Green for stopping by ‘The News-Gazette Sports Page’ radio show on Monday at the Esquire in downtown Champaign.
Bismarck-Henning graduate Dylan Dodd made 28 relief appearances for the Atlanta Braves during the 2025 season, going 1-0 with a 3.60 earned run average.
Numbers game: 35
innings pitched in 28 relief appearances with the Atlanta Braves this season by Bismarck-Henning graduate Dylan Dodd. The 27-year-old left-hander compiled a 1-0 record with a 3.60 earned run average, striking out 30 and walking only five. Opponents only hit .219 off him, and Dodd also finished with two holds out of the bullpen while getting called up four different times to the major leagues from late May through late August.
From left, Monticello’s Cate Sanders, Mahomet-Seymour’s Brooke Hartman, St. Thomas More coach Kim Zahrn and STM’s Jenika Biggs make their way up at the fairway during a girls’ golf match at Lake of the Woods Golf Course in Mahomet on Aug. 21. Area girls’ golf teams begin IHSA regional tournaments on Tuesday.
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. Class 2A Mahomet-Seymour girls’ golf regional. The host Bulldogs, along with Centennial and Champaign Central, will tee off to begin their postseason journey on Tuesday at Lake of the Woods Golf Course in Mahomet.
➜ 2. Class 1A St. Thomas More girls’ golf regional. The majority of area girls’ golf teams play in this postseason event Tuesday at Lincolnshire Fields Country Club, with host STM, Blue Ridge, LeRoy, Monticello and Villa Grove, among others, expected to contend for the team title.
➜ 3. Class 1A Dwight girls’ golf regional. Area teams Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, Hoopeston Area, Iroquois and Watseka play Tuesday at Dwight Country Club.
Monticello senior Cassidee Stoffel plays volleyball and softball for the Sages.
Ask an athlete
Three questions with Monticello senior Cassidee Stoffel, who plays volleyball and softball for the Sages:
➜ 1. Three athletes I’d like to have dinner with are … Jalen Hurts, Montana Fouts and Bethany Hamilton.
➜ 2. The TV show I most like to binge-watch is … “Gilmore Girls.”
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeves are … loud breathing and chewing sounds.
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