Andy Wenstrand Director of Operations | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Andy Wenstrand Director of Operations | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Illinois volleyball is set to commence its Big Ten play with matches against #11 Oregon and Washington this weekend. The games are scheduled for September 27 and 28 at the Matthew Knight Arena and Alaska Airlines Arena, respectively. The match against Oregon will be broadcast on FS1, while the Washington game will be available on B1G+.
The Illinois team enters the season under the guidance of head coach Chris Tamas, who is in his eighth year leading the program. "Chris Tamas enters his eighth season as head coach of the Fighting Illini volleyball program in 2023," states a source. Illinois boasts an overall record of 1,073-625-7 (.632) in its history.
Recently, Illinois finished non-conference play with a victory over Lipscomb. Key players included Raina Terry, who had 23 kills and five aces, Christina Martinez Mundo with a season-high 26 digs, and Cari Bohm alongside Laynie Smith with six blocks each.
Raina Terry continues to be a standout player for Illinois. "Terry's 173 total kills during the 2024 campaign puts the pin in second place in the conference," notes an observer. She has been named MVP twice this season during four tournaments.
Caroline Barnes approaches a milestone with her career digs nearing 1,000 as she holds 970 currently. The team's performance has been strong throughout non-conference play with an overall record of 8-2.
Illinois' opponents this weekend bring formidable records into their respective matches. Oregon stands at an impressive 8-1 while Washington remains undefeated at 10-0 this year.
In historical matchups between these teams, Illinois has faced both Oregon and Washington multiple times but has experienced mixed results: "The all-time series between Illinois and Oregon is tied at 2-2," whereas Washington holds a slight edge over Illinois at "4-3."
Notably, assistant coach Krista Hendrickson left Washington as one of its most celebrated athletes; she was inducted into their Hall of Fame last year.
Looking ahead to these competitive matches within Big Ten play will further test what appears thus far promising capabilities from Illinois volleyball under Coach Tamas' leadership—a period marked by consistent achievements including multiple NCAA Tournament appearances since he took charge back in February '17—seeking yet another successful run amidst fierce competition across collegiate sports landscape nationwide today!
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