Chambana Sun

Illinois volleyball team secured a victory against Northwestern in a four-set match at Huff Hall on Sunday. The Fighting Illini's win improved their season record to 9-5, with a 1-3 standing in the Big Ten Conference. Northwestern fell to 3-9 overall and also holds a 1-3 record in league play.

The Illini achieved a .299 hitting percentage during the match, accumulating 59 kills. They also recorded 52 digs, 45 assists, and nine blocks as a team.

Four players from Illinois reached double-digit kills. Ashlyn Philpot led with 14 kills, followed by Raina Terry with 13, Averie Hernandez with 11, and Laynie Smith with 10. Brooke Mosher contributed her 18th career double-double by tallying 33 assists and 12 digs.

On defense, Christina Martinez Mundo led the team with 15 digs while Lily Barry achieved a season-high of 11 digs. Both Philpot and Smith recorded five blocks each.

The match began with Illinois trailing in the first set but eventually tied it at nine points each after consecutive kills from Smith. Despite closing the gap, Illinois lost the first set to Northwestern, finishing at 25-22 due to errors.

In the second set, Illinois gained momentum with a strong lead of 10-4 after a five-point run. With effective serving from Martinez Mundo, they extended their lead to secure a win at 25-19.

Illinois continued their strong performance into the third set, gaining an early lead of 11-5 and eventually winning it at 25-18.

Although Illinois started slow in the fourth set allowing an early run from Northwestern, they quickly recovered. A significant block from Cari Bohm and Smith sealed their victory in this set at 25-19, concluding the match.

Next up for Illinois is an away game against Michigan scheduled for Thursday at Ann Arbor.

Notes from the match include that starters were Raina Terry, Brooke Mosher, Averie Hernandez, Cari Bohm, Ashlyn Philpot, Laynie Smith, and Christina Martinez Mundo. The Illini wore long-sleeved white jerseys and have won all five matches wearing them this season. The program's historical record against Northwestern now stands at 66 wins to 32 losses. Coach Chris Tamas has achieved his tenth win against Northwestern out of thirteen encounters. Philpot's performance marked her career-best for kills as a freshman while Barry's digs were her best this season. Attendance was reported as 2,829 spectators.