In the 2011 season, his third year as head coach, Hambly's Fighting Illini swept the season series with four-time defending national champions Penn State. Both Volleyball Magazine (VBM) and AVCA polls ranked his team at #1 for four weeks. Later, during the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament, he coached his squad to victory in one of the most memorable matches in school history with an upset over #1 ranked USC. After guiding his Illinois team to an NCAA Tournament runners-up spot with two outstanding players, Michelle Bartsch a VBM first-team All-American and Colleen Ward a VBM second-team All-American, Hambly was named VBM 2011 National Coach of the Year.
