Emily Schilling Associate Strength & Conditioning Coach | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Emily Schilling Associate Strength & Conditioning Coach | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Illinois volleyball concluded its participation in the Best Western Invitational with a decisive victory over Bowling Green, winning in straight sets at the Stroh Center on Saturday night.
The Fighting Illini improved their season record to 2-0, while Bowling Green fell to 1-1. As a team, Illinois posted 34 kills on .184 hitting for the match and recorded 35 digs, 31 assists, 12 blocks, and 12 aces. Raina Terry led the squad with 11 kills for the second consecutive match. Vivian Campbell and Brooke Mosher each contributed three aces. Defensively, Ashlyn Philpot tallied seven blocks, and Christina Martinez Mundo logged nine digs.
Illinois began the first set with a strong start, achieving a 3-0 run before an ace from Campbell helped secure a 9-4 advantage. Despite back-and-forth play that led to a timeout at a score of 16-13 in favor of Illinois, the team maintained momentum and closed out the set at 25-19.
In the second set, Illinois quickly established a lead of 10-5 with Campbell serving. Although Bowling Green narrowed the gap to within two points, an ace from Mosher restored Illinois' five-point lead late in the frame. Averie Hernandez secured the final kill to win the set at 25-17.
The third set saw another strong performance from Illinois starting with a kill from Cari Bohm and an ace from Mosher that pushed them ahead to a score of 12-10. Following intense exchanges between both teams after Bowling Green's timeout, Illinois solidified their lead with blocks and a kill by Terry to finish at 25-21.
Looking ahead, Illinois will host its first home match of the season against Illinois State at Huff Hall on Tuesday at 7 p.m., broadcasted on B1G+.
Notable points:
- Starters included Raina Terry, Brooke Mosher, Averie Hernandez, Cari Bohm, Ashlyn Philpot, Laynie Smith, and Caroline Barnes.
- The match marked Averie Hernandez's first collegiate meeting against her sister Sydnie.
- The team wore long-sleeved navy jerseys for the first time.
- This victory extended Illinois' all-time record against Bowling Green to 3-0.
- The team's achievement of reaching double digits in aces was last accomplished against Ohio State on Nov.15th last year.
- Six aces were recorded during their second-set victory.
- Terry’s career total of 1,657 kills places her tied for eighth in program history.
- Head coach Chris Tamas now holds a personal record of 2-0 against Bowling Green.
Attendance for this match was reported as being at approximately 1,178 spectators.
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